LEAYES FEOM THE DIAET 



^_ OF AN 



AllMY SUllGEON; 



^ OR, 

% INCIDESTS OF FIELD CAMP, AND HOSPITAL LIFE. 



^ 



K By THOMAS T. ELLIS, M. D., 



"I 



s 



LATE POST-SURGEON AT NEW YORK, AND ACTING MEDICAL DIRECTOR 
AT AVHITEHOUSE, VA. 



, " Literature itself must languish, where thoughts are not renewed by vigorous 

Vjj and varied action." Madame Dk Stael. 



NEYY YORK: 
PUBLISHED BY J0H:X BHADBURIS', 

SUCCESSOR TO M. DOOLADY,) 

49 WALKER-STREET. 
186 3. 






58128 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1863, 

By JOHN BRADBUEN, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern 
District of New York. 



RENNIE, SHEA & LINDSAY 
Stbkbotypkrs and Electrotypkrs, R- CRAIGHEAD, PRfNTEit, 

81, 83 & 85 Centre-street, 83 Centre-Street, N. Y. 

Nbw York. 



0^ 






/ 







TO 

MAJOR-GENERAL GEORGE B. M'CLELLAN, 

UNITED STATES ARMY, 

AS A TOKEN OF ADMIRATION AND RESPECT FOR HIS 
SKILL AS A GENERAL, 

HIS BRAA^ERY AS A SOLDIER, 

HIS COURTESY AS A SUPERIOR OFFICER, 

HIS HONOR AS A GENTLEMAN, 

HIS CHRISTIAN SYISIPATHY FOR THE "WOUNDED SOLDIERS 
OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, AND 

HIS KINDNESS AS A MAN, 

BY THE AUTHOR. 



PEEFACE 



In submitting to the reading public the following 
pages, it is but proper to inform them why the author has 
written these " Leaves from the Diary of an Army Surgeon," 
or on what grounds he lays claim to their perusal of this 
narrative of incidents of the war. 

In the autumn of 1861, when recruiting was at its zenith, 
and the City Hall Park was white with the tents of recruit- 
ing officers and its streets resonant with sound of fife and 
drum, repeated and daily rej)resentations were made to 
the then Governor of the State, by commanding officers of 
regiments, of the incompetency and total want of knowl- 
edge of the military and professional duties, by the surgeons 
who had been appointed to the various regiments already 
sent to the seat of war ; these complaints became so fre- 
quent and well grounded that the appointment of a Post 
Surgeon, whose duty it would be to organize the medical 
staff of each regiment, inspect and vaccinate the recruits, 
attend the sick, and instruct the regimental surgeons, 
assistant-surgeons, and hospital stewards in their duties, on 
their being appointed by the Surgeon-general, was decided 
on, and the writer was selected for that position, by the 
heads of the departments. In making this selection they 
were influenced by the facts of his having been in the 
British army as staff-surgeon and his having served at the 
Cape of Good Hope during the Kaffir War, where duties 
of a similar character were performed by him, and where 



6 , PKEFACE. 

his efficiency and capability earned and received the pub- 
he commendation of the " Horse Guards," the name given 
to tlie heads of the British army, analogous to the war de- 
partment of the United States. • For those services, and for 
wounds received on the battle-field, he was permitted to 
retire from the service with an honorable discharge and an 
annual pension. 

During the performance of these duties of Post Surgeon 
at New York, and of Medical Director in Virginia, entail- 
ing on him the care and treatment of the wounded, with 
the innumerable duties and responsibilities contingent 
thereon, the incidents related in the following pages 
came under his notice, and it was his 'good fortune to be 
able to soothe the last agonies of many hundred officers 
and soldiers of the army, and to bear the parting message 
of affi3ction and dying blessing to many a bereaved parent 
or sister who would never again, in this world, meet the 
manly and beloved form sent out in the full enjoyment of 
health and spirits to fight the battles of his country, and, 
alas, to become a victim of that civil war, now desolating 
this once happy and prosperous land. 

In the recital of these facts the author has carefully 
avoided the introduction of all political or sectional discus- 
sion, deeming it beyond his province and unsuited to this 
faithful record of facts, which will be found often ludicrous, 
sometimes pathetic, but always interesting. And that the 
reader may so consider them is the wish, and will be (for 
the labor of relating them) full compensation for the 

AUTHOR. 

New York, March, 1863. 



INTRODUCTION. 



A NATION that for many years has enjoyed the blessings 
of peace, and whose standing army, if it deserved that 
name, was scarcely sufficient to protect its frontier from 
intrusion, and keep in check the uncivilized tribes of 
Indians forming a part, though a troublesome element, of 
its population, could not be expected to possess the martial 
spirit, or knowledge of the profession of arms, rendered 
necessary to grapple with and subdue a rebellion or civil 
war of that magnitude which sprang into existence in 
1861, by the secession of the slave-owning States of the 
South, the first overt act of which was the bombardment 
and reduction of Fort Sumter, in April of that year. Nor 
could it, with justice, be supposed that the machinery found 
sufficient for the management and direction of a few thou- 
sand troops, or the officials having its direction and govern- 
ment in their charge, and who for years had trodden in the 
beaten path of routine and old fogyism, would prove capa- 
ble of organizing and equipping the vast army, recruited 
from an agricultural and commercial population, which 
was created on the call of the nation's chief magis- 
trate ; many of whom were actuated by patriotism, but not 
a few responded from that necessity or want of employ- 
ment which the interruptions of trade and total stagnation 
of commercial enterprise, through the war, had produced ; 
others, influenced by less worthy motives, adopted the life 



8 INTEODUCTION. 

of a soldier more from the facilities it was supposed to 
afford them to lead a life of idleness or dishonesty, than 
from the desire to aid their country in its hour of trying 
darkness, and the government in its often well-meant but 
imbecile efforts to crush the gigantic struggle that threat- 
ened the disruption of this vast and hitherto prosperous 
repubhc. Nor was the latter class confined to the rank and 
file, for many of the commissioned officers were men whose 
lives had been passed in gambling-houses, or bar-rooms, 
and who, from the supposed possession of political influ- 
ence, had obtained from the Governors of their respective 
States commissions in the volunteer army, on which their 
ignorance, incompetency, and total want of honesty, has 
brought disgrace, and to which, in many instances, the 
defeats sustained by our troops, and their demoralized con- 
dition, can be traced. Among the many ingenious com- 
parisons to which life has been subjected, and which, if we 
do not clearly understand, it is not for want of " reasoning 
by illustration," none among the resemblances which at 
moments to a quiet contemplator suggests so clearly the 
image of a whirhgig or roundabout, in which each partici- 
pator of the pastime, seated on his hobby, is always pursuing 
some one before him, while he in turn is pursued by some 
one behind, as the efforts of these pseudo-politico oflicers, 
w^ho by every contrivance endeavored to supplant or over- 
reach each other, that the successful one might obtain, as he 
hoped, a more extensive field for his thieving operations. 
In contradistinction to this too numerous class, there were 
many noble and striking exceptions — men who abandoned 
lucrative positions, and a well-paying occupation or com- 
Ibrtable homes, to rally round the flag of their country, and 
defend the government from its threatened annihilation 
and the Union undivided. Nor were these disinterested 



INTRODUCTION. 9 

gentlemen alone found in any one particular State or political 
party of the Union ; for I can recall to mind many from 
the agricultural West, the manufacturmg East, and the 
commercial Middle States of the Union, who, possessed of 
wealth, promptly and cheerfully resj^onded to the call, and 
willingly braved the rigorous and irksome duties of camp 
life, with the chances of that possible fatal future which has,^ 
been the lot of so many brave and unselfish heroes, who 
have become martyrs to a war that has entailed misery on 
thousands, and that appears as likely to continue to sap 
the life's blood of the nation as it did before the hundreds 
of thousands of lives, and the thousands of millions of 
money which it has cost, had been expended. 

The writer's position having brought him in contact 
with most of the volunteer regiments raised, not alone in 
the State of New York, but in the Western and New 
England States, he is led to the conclusions here ex- 
pressed, by an unlimited intercourse and exchange of 
sentiment with the ofiicers and men composing those regi- 
ments: and he does not hesitate to express the opinion, 
that the material of the army, both physically and in 
intelligence, has never been excelled, if it has been equalled, 
by any nation of the world ; and, if the government (at 
whose desire it was called into existence, as if by magic) 
had but evinced an ordinary amount of prudence or ability 
in the command or disposal of this mighty force, it would 
have, by concert of action, struck the death-blow to the 
rebelHon, and peace, now despaired of, would ere this 
have been restored to us. For the leaders of this rebellion 
— which has grown into gigantic dimensions, not so much 
from its own innate strength, as from the stupid blunder- 
ing and guilty mismanagement of the Federal forces — 
would have been forced to lay down their arms and seek 

1* 



10 INTRODUCTION. 

an early opportunity to renew their allegiance to this 
then united, but now disrupted nation. 

The preponderating amount of testimony from whicli 
these opinions are formed, has been collected from the 
most intelligent officers of the army, very many of whom 
fell victims to that criminal ignorance and blind obstinacy 
which has characterized the conduct of the war, and which 
has made the military acquirements of the American peo- 
l^le a by-word and reproach. 

The Southern people, who, by education and their pe- 
culiar state of social life, are eminently qualified to com- 
mand, were not slow to take advantage of these Federal 
blunders ; and the unconstitutional inroads made on their 
institutions gave color, if not indorsement, to their ajDpeals, 
describing the war as one of invasion and extermination. 
Nor have those appeals been made in vain to the able- 
bodied population of the Southern States, who have re- 
sponded with alacrity to the supposed defence of their rights, 
liberties, and firesides. 

Every patriotic lover of his country must deplore the 
course j)ursued by the President's constitutional advisers 
in sending forth the firebrands of emancipation proclama- 
tions, which have proved barren of all good results, and 
has but served to inflame and intensify the hatred of the 
Southern people, and divide irrevocably the population of 
the loyal States ; nor can it be claimed for these injurious 
pronunciamentos that they have, in the smallest degree, 
benefited the slaves, for whose amelioration they were 
ostensibly issued, as from their very tenor and spirit they 
are alone intended for that portion of the Southern States 
over which the Federal Government has no control, nor 
ability to enforce them. The Southern slave, too, if we 
may judge from the experience of this rebelUon, has but 



mXEODUCTION. 11 

little desire to avail himself of this unexpected liberty; and 
the fact is incontrovertible that no attempt at a servile 
insurrection has been made, though the facilities for pro- 
ducing it must in many places have been ample. Whether 
we are to attribute this to the generally mild form of slavery, 
the fitness of the African for a life of bondage, and his 
unfitness for an independent state, or to the distrust of the 
negro in the philanthropic exertions of the advocates of 
abolition in his behalf, the writer does not pretend to de- 
cide; but the fact remains patent, that the negro, for 
whose emancipation this war is now avowedly carried on, 
has proved himself but a poor auxiliary in its prosecution, 
and often an unwilling participator in its boasted benefits. 

The writer deems it fitting here to state that on an im- 
partial comparison, drawn from extended personal observa- 
tion of the condition of the African in his native land, in 
the ISTorthern free States, and Canada, or in the Southern 
States now in rebellion, he has become convinced that in 
none of these conditions are the negroes as happy or well 
cared for, taken as a body, as in the cotton and sugar 
growing States of the South. ISTor are these convictions 
hurriedly made or recently arrived at — tliey are the growth 
of years of reflection ; for the writer, when he left his Eng- 
lish home in 1842, was as warm an advocate of the doctrine 
of anti-slavery as ever left the shores of happy and free 
Albion. 

These introductory remarks are made to show the reader 
that the facts and thrilling incidents related in the follow- 
ing pages are not dictated by any political or party spirit, 
but are, as they profess to be, leaves from the diary of 

An Army Sxjkgeojs". 



LEAVES FROM THE DIAM 



OF AN 



ARMY SURGEON. 



CHAPTER I 



In the month of October, 1861, pursuant to the orders 
of the commandant of New York, I commenced the dis- 
charge of my duties as surgeon of the post, which inchided 
the medical supervision of the several camps in the city and 
on Staten Island. Camp Washington, at the latter place, 
first claimed my attention. It is situated on an inclined 
plane of the northern end of the island, well suited for the 
purpose, and on which the State authorities had erected a 
wooden barracks, capable of accommodating 1000 men, 
with the necessary buildings for officers' and surgeons' 
quarters. This station had been occupied by the Sixth New 
York, known as " Billy Wilson's Zouaves," and at this 
time contained a portion of the Volunteer Engineers and 
the nucleus of two or three other military organizations, as 
yet in a state of infancy, but which had not reached 
the number entitling them to the exclusive services of a 
surgeon ; and as the medical officers of the two first men- 
tioned regiments had no interest in the condition of the 
camp beyond its sanitary condition while occupied by their 



14 LEAVES FEOM THE 

regiments, I was not surprised to find it in a disordered 
state ; but neither was I prepared to meet with the absence 
of all regard for the health, cleanliness, and comfort of the 
troops, that presented itself on my first visit, which the 
natural position of the ground, from its proximity to the 
w^ater, had made a matter of easy accomplishment. My 
first care was to inspect and reform the cook-house and 
mess-room, hitherto totally disregarded, and to make daily 
examination of the cooked rations, supplied by the con- 
tractors, the quality of which was of the poorest kind, and 
had given just cause for repeated complaint and dissatisfac- 
tion among the men ; and here, at the outset of my duties, 
I was met with the most- determined hostiUty by the con- 
tractors, who dreaded that the threatened inspection of the 
food would oblige them to supply a better and more whole- 
some article, and put a stop to the shameless frauds prac- 
tised on the soldier in their department. The sum paid by 
the government — 40 cents a day — was liberal, and enabled 
the contractors to realize a handsome profit while supply- 
ing a good and wholesome quality of food. But the temp- 
tation was too strong, and the representations I made to 
the head of the subsistence department of the unfitness of 
the food, and the unclean and ill-arranged mode of cooking 
and issuing it, was met with the most determined and sys- 
tematic opposition, backed by false statements of the in- 
terested parties; but perseverance and the judicious use of 
the power I possessed, succeeded, and I soon had the grat- 
ification to see that my daily visit during dinner to the 
mess-room, secured for the soldiers a clean and wholesome 
meal. The alternate ofiers of threats and bribes were alike 
unavailing to turn me aside from the plain path of my 
duty, in this first essential step to promote the health of 
the troops. The contractors themselves, after some time, 



DIARY OF AK ARMY SURGEON. 15 

finding it of no avail to continue their opposition, became 
reconciled to the change, as they learned that the improved 
discipline of the men put a stop to the frequent outrages 
committed on their cooking house and utensils by disor- 
derly or drunken soldiers, who, in this way, revenged 
themselves on the contractors for the inferior quality of the 
provisions. 



16 LEAVES FROM THE 



CHAPTER II. 

Camp Washington, the situation of which is described 
in tlie foregoing chapter, was, about this time, on my sug- 
gestion, made a depot for mihtary organizations, while in a 
formative state. Its isolated but healthful condition, the 
faciht;^ with which it could be guarded, and its easiness of 
access to the city, recommended it strongly for this pur- 
pose, — the only connection with the city being by ferry- 
boat, a small guard could at all times prevent strag- 
glers or deserters from reaching the city, and the temp- 
tations held out by the villages on Staten Island were not 
more numerous or attractive than could be expected from 
the large number of troops stationed in its several camps ; 
even these the commanding officers could always keep 
in check by the assistance of the civil authorities, which 
was promptly rendered. When those means have failed, 
the soldiers themselves, when suffering from imposition by 
the keepers of these groggeries, or when released from the 
confinement to which they had been sentenced as a pun- 
ishment for drunkenness, not unfrequently " abated" these 
rum-shop nuisances by the demolition of one or more of 
them. But this illegal and unjustifiable course often led to 
a conflict with the owners, and the personal injuries re- 
ceived in the encounters have often swelled the morning 
sick report. I succeeded in procuring, by requisition on 
the medical purveyor, a liberal supply of drugs for this 
station, and in having appointed a post-hospital steward, 
who not belonging to any regiment, remained permanently 



DIAKY OF AN AKMY SURGEON. 17 

with me. I also bad a building fitted up for a hospital, 
and by these and other much needed reforms, was enabled 
to take care of the sick, and in time issued to the other 
camps on the island whatever drugs or hospital supplies I 
needed for the treatment and care of the sick at those 
stati'ons. 

Under orders from the State surgeon-general, I assumed, 
at this time, the medical charge of Camp Scott, situated 
about four miles from the Vanderbilt Landing on Staten 
Island ; and found, on my arrival, that over one hundred 
men of the 6th New York Volunteer Cavahy, better known 
as the 2d Ira Harris Guard, were sick wath measles, to- 
gether with the assistant-surgeon and hospital-steward of 
the regiment, which was in tents and destitute of any 
hospital accommodation. Colonel Devin had taken com- 
mand but the day before, and the total want of discipline, 
aggravated by the unclean condition of the camp, which 
recent rain had made almost impassable, increased the la- 
bor of getting this station into a healthful condition. My 
efibrts to procure a building suitable for a hospital were 
unavailing. The building in use for the purpose was par- 
tially occupied by a portion of the Sickles Brigade, for 
w^hose use it w^as erected ; the roof being leaky and the 
building in a dilapidated condition, it was totally unfit for a 
hospital, nor was it until I personally assumed the cost of the 
necessary repairs, that I had any place to accommodate the 
very large number of sick, most of whom were distributed 
among the company tents, thus spreading this contagious 
disease, w^hich assumed a malignant type. However," by 
continued personal supervision and daily close attention to 
the improvement of the sanitary condition of the camp, and 
enforcing habits of cleanliness among the men, I had the 
gratification of checking its spread, which the hitherto in- 



18 LEAVES FROM THE 

discreet intercourse of sick and well had greatly increased. 
For the month which this regiment remained at Camp 
Scott, my daily labors were exceedingly onerous ; as the 
entire duty of inspecting the recruits, vaccinating the whole 
regiment, and the treatment of the sick, together with ar- 
duous sanitary inspections daily made of the tents, the ap- 
pointing and instructing hospital-stewards, obtaining hos- 
pital supplies, all devolved on the writer. The officers of 
this regiment, before leaving the station, presented him 
with a flattering testimonial of their appreciation of his 
services, and made liberal acknowledgments of the reforms 
made, and the perfect organization made in the medical 
department. The surgeon-general also acknowledged 
those services, and in refusing the unanimous application of 
the ofiicers for his appointment to the regiment, stated as 
his reason that the position occupied by him could not be 
filled by any other surgeon as well versed in its duties. 
During this period not a single death occurred in any of the 
camps under the writer's care, notwithstanding the average 
number of troops was over 3000. Camp Ledlie, at Palace 
Garden, New York city, was another of these stations, and 
to it his first morning visit was paid. It contained about 
400 of the 12th New York Volunteers, and about 100 of 
the 87th New York Volunteers, commanded by Col. 
Dodge. 



DIARY OF AN AKMY SUEGEON. 19 



CHAPTEE III. 

The command of Camp Ledlie, Palace Garden, at this 
time, devolved on Lt.-col. Hemy "Weeks, of the 12th New 
York Volmiteers, which had been removed from Camp 
Washington to increase its recruiting facilities ; this regi- 
ment was in part made up from the Twelfth New York 
Militia, that had served in the three months' campaign, 
under the command of Col. Daniel Butterfield, its gallant 
conduct procuring for him a brigadier-generalship. This 
camp was stationed at Palace Garden, on Fourteenth-street, 
near 6th Avenue, in New York city, and had been pre- 
viously used as a place of public amusement. It was 
poorly adapted for the accommodation of the troops. The 
quarters were two low and badly-hghted lialls, without 
proper ventilation, and entirely destitute of bunks, which 
obliged the soldiers to spread their mattresses all over the 
floors, that were often wet and but seldom cleaned. This, 
and the many temptations to drunkenness held out to the 
men by the adjoining bar-rooms, greatly increased my la- 
bors, and materially swelled the daily list of those reported 
sick and asking exemption from duty. There not being 
any accommodation for the officers in the camp aggravated 
those evils, as their absence at night, when the men re- 
turned to quarters drunk and disorderly, frequently per- 
mitted rows, often attended with serious personal injury. 
The many devices resorted to by the men to procure short 
furloughs were such as could not fail to provoke a smile 
for their novelty and ingenuity. If an aj)peal to me for a 



20 LEAVES FKOM THE 

pass flailed, I would often hear of the same applicant having 
obtained one from the commandant, on the plea of the sud- 
den illness or death of a near relative which had no exist- 
ence in fact ; or it might be that the pass was obtained on 
the presumed knowledge of the whereabouts of one or 
more deserters ; or an assertion of the applicant's ability to 
bring one br more recruits, and as the positions of these 
line officers were dependent on the number mustered into 
their companies, these applications were usually successful. 
The mode of recruiting and granting commissions adopted 
in this State was as follows : The governor granted au- 
thority to any person, on application, who was supposed to 
possess the influence to raise a regiment, with the under- 
standing that if successful he should be commissioned as 
colonel of the regiment. This colonel would then issue 
similar authority to persons to raise companies, with the 
promise of the captaincy when the minimum number re- 
quired by the United States Army Regulations were 
mustered into the United States service, and as the captain,. 
in time, would make like arrangements with applicants for 
the 1st and 2d lieutenancies, it was the interest of all to 
procure as many recruits as possible. As the duty of exam- 
ining these recruits, on their joining the regiment, devoted 
on me, and as I was inexorably strict in my examination, I 
frequently have given oiFence to those line oflicers, and they 
resorted to many subterfuges to evade my examination ; 
nor were the oflicers alone interested in passing any and 
every recruit, as it became of vital importance to the 
colonel of the regiment, as an order was issued at this time 
to consolidate the several organizations, those having less 
than a given number to be merged into the larger. This 
order, had it been carried out with impartiality, would 
not alone have given general satisfaction, but have been 



DIAEY OF AN ARMY SUKGEON. 21 

productive of much good. But with the same system of 
favoritism that has cursed the army, many were given po- 
sitions totally unfit for the service, to the unjust exclusion 
of more competent and experienced men. Under this 
order the 12th Regiment New York State Militia, reor- 
ganizing for the war, under command of Colonel Henry 
Weeks, and which occupied this camp for three months, 
were consolidated with the 12th New York Volunteers, a 
Syracuse regiment, whose ranks had been thinned and re- 
duced to 400. The Syracuse regiment, commanded by Lt.- 
col. Richardson, was stationed at Upton's Hill, Virginia, 
and the New York portion left to join them ; the surgeon. 
Dr. Reese B. Berky, who by this consolidation was rendered 
supernumerary, was transferred to the 4th New York Vol- 
unteer Artillery, commanded by Col. Doubleday, en- 
camped at Staten Island. Dr. Berky, for some time, acted 
as my assistant at Palace Garden, and I embrace this op- 
portunity of testifying to his professional ability and solici- 
tude for the comfort and health of the men, and sanitary 
condition of the camp. With the officers of the 12th I had 
formed a most agreeable acquaintance, and felt indebted 
to them for their cordial co-operation in my exertions to 
keep the camp free from an e2:)idemic made imminent by its 
insufficient ventilation and drainage. They left for the 
seat of war with the best wishes of many citizens of New 
York, and with none warmer than the writer's. It has 
been my lot to meet many of them since in Virginia, and 
I know of no single regiment, that had been stationed at 
this post while I was post surgeon, in whose officers and 
men I felt a greater interest, or whose military reputation 
I felt more concern and pride for ; many of the poor fellows 
who left the Palace Garden in high spirits have since met 
an honorable grave on the truly-called sacred soil of Vir- 



22 LEAVES FROM THE 

ginia. Soon after the departure of the 12th from Palace 
Garden it was taken possession of by the 2d battahon of 
3d New York Yohmteer Artillery, commanded by Colonel 
James Ledlie, numbering about 400 men, recruited from 
the agricultural districts of Western New York ; their stay 
at this station was but for three weeks, and since their de- 
parture its use as quarters for troops has been discontinued ; 
nor is this a matter of regret, as its position in a populous 
part of the city, and its unsuitableness for barracks, made 
its selection for the purpose alone justifiable on the press- 
ing plea of necessity. 



DIARY OF AN AKMY SURGEON. 23 



CHAPTER lY 



CAMP SCOTT. 



Situated in a valley and approached by a drive of three 
miles from the Vanderbilt Landing, along a beautiful road, 
which passes through the village of Clifton, the encamp 
ment named in honor of General Scott, is located. The 
brigade raised by General Sickles, was the first quartered 
here, and on its proceeding to the seat of war, the Ira 
Harris Guard, or 5th and 6th New York Volunteer 
Cavalry Regiments (then in a state of formation), were 
ordered to Camp Scott. Stables had been erected, 
and a wooden building adjoining the old homestead, 
called the " Stone-house," was used as cook-house and 
mess-room. The condition of these buildings, and the food 
issued to the men, I found, on my first visit of inspection, 
to be very bad, and I learned that the same contractors 
who supplied Camp Washington had a monopoly of this 
station. Feeling satisfied that the extraordinary large 
number of sick in camp was, to a great extent, owing 
to unwholesome and badly cooked food, I issued an order 
that the oflacer of the day should at each meal be present 
and inspect the food. This had a twofold advantage : it 
obliged the contractor to furnish better rations, fearing a 
report being made to me on my daily inspection, and also 
preserved order among the men ; the want of which had 
been urged by the mess-man as an excuse for the filthy 
condition of the mess-room. 



24 LEAVES FROM. THE 

The wooden building used as a guard-house, I found 
one of the most wretched and filthy holes imaginable; 
the roof leaky, the boarded floors had been torn up and 
used for kindling-wood, by the prisoners confined in it, and 
all those who for weeks had been locked up there, had accu- 
mulated a heap of filth, composed of the rejected food and 
oflal of every kind, which sent forth an intolerable and 
unhealthy stench. I at once determined on the removal 
of the prisoners to better quarters, and on examining the 
dozen or more unfortunates, ordered four to the hospital, 
and recommended to the commandant of the post, who 
accompanied me, the discharge of four others. The re- 
mainder being deserters, confined under written charges 
preferred against them, who, at great trouble and expense 
had been brought back from Boston, he had no authority 
or desire to liberate. To obtain a suitable building to use 
for a guard-house, was a matter of no small difficulty, there 
being but three others near the camp : one, the hospital, I 
had nearly full of patients ; another, the post sutler's estab- 
lishment, was too large, and was indispensable to the camp, 
as most of the officers' and all the hospital food was cooked 
in it. I found, however, a smaller wooden building, which 
belonged to the former sutler of the Sickles Brigade, and 
recommended the commandant of the post to take posses- 
sion of it and make the necessary changes to adapt it for 
use as a guard-house. 

Having made these arrangements, and having had the 
hospital building re^^aired and heated with large stoves, 
and the bedding properly cared for, I was able to control 
the epidemic then raging ; and, before two weeks had ex- 
pired, the sick report decreased from one hundred and six 
to sixty-four. There was still another fruitful source of dis- 
order and disease, which, though not in the cam}), exer- 



DIAKY OF AN AKMY SURGEON. 25 

cised a wonderful and pernicious influence on the men. 
On the roadside which led to the steamboat landing, and 
within an eighth of a mile, there stood a frame cottage, in 
which the vilest liquor was sold, and from whence it was 
daily smuggled into camp, causing drunkenness with all its 
attendant ill consequences, and sickness from exposure, as 
the men, on getting intoxicated, would ramble off into the 
adjoining woods, and there lie down on the damp ground, 
certain to awake in the morning with a violent cold or 
the prevalent sore throat ; besides these ill effects, the offi- 
cers found this place a source of great annoyance, and I 
was not at all grieved on passing the place one day, where 
this rum-mill had stood, to find it torn down. On inquiry, I 
learned that the evening previous a fight occurred be- 
tween the keeper of the place and some of the soldiers, 
who, maddened with the vile stuff drank on the premises, 
proceeded to blows, and in the 7nUee which followed, the 
cottage was entirely gutted, and then levelled to the 
ground. Several of the men who participated in this 
affair, were, I found, on my daily visit to the guard- 
house, doing penance for it : but, as a few days showed 
that the removal of the groggery was a blessing to the 
camp, they were let off with a lighter punishment than 
would otherwise have been their lot. 

The isolated position of the camp was one of its strongest 
recommendations, and went far in influencing the selection, 
in spite of the soft, muddy nature of the ground, and the 
difficulty in guarding it against desertion by the men, and 
tiiieving by the Staten Islanders — a nest of whom from 
Rocky Hollow made nightly visits, and generally succeeded 
in carrying off some booty. One night it would be a gov- 
ernment saddle ; another, a sack of oats, or even a horse ; the 
aggregate loss to the government, by these depredations, 

3 



26 LEAVES FKOM THE 

was considerable, nor could the utmost vigilance of the 
officers prevent it. 

Camp Scott continued to be occupied by the 6th New York 
Volunteer Cavalry until the 23d of December, 1861, when 
they left for York, Pennsylvania, where they remained some 
months. They have since been in active service, and proved 
themselves, as they promised to be, one of the best disci- 
plined and bravest regiments in the army of the Potomac. 
A terrible snow-storm raged on the day of their leaving 
Staten Island, the inhabitants of which parted from them 
with regret, and many ladies of the island braved the storm 
to witness their embarkation, which, owing to some mis- 
management in the quartermaster's department, was at- 
tended with unnecessary delay and exposure that cost the 
lives of many of the men of this splendid regiment, perfect 
in its officers, men, outfit, and discipline, and possessing, at 
the time of its departure, as thoroughly organized and as 
efficient a medical staff as any regiment that left the State. 
In consequence of their being unable to be moved, I kept 
back fifteen sick members, and also retained the hospital 
steward, Mr. T. E. King, to take care of them, the whole 
being under the command of Lieut. Wright, detailed for 
this and recruiting duty. In a couple of weeks they were 
able to travel, and their leaving broke up Camp Scott, which 
was not again used as a military station until by the Cor- 
coran Legion, in the summer of 1862. 



DIAKY OF AN ABMY SUEGEOIf. 27 



CHAPTER V. 

Camp Arthur, another of the stations under my care, 
is situated on Staten Island, at tlie Quarantine Landing. It 
was named after the quartermaster-general of the State, 
Brigadier-general Chester Arthur, whose services in fitting 
out the New York troops and courteous treatment of all 
having official intercourse with him, has made him very 
popular. The Commissioners of Emigration consented to 
the use, by the volunteers, of the buildings and grounds of 
the old quarantine establishment, which had not been con- 
sumed by fire when the people of Staten Island " abated 
the quarantine nuisance," in 1858, while the citizens of 
New York were wild with the joyous excitement of the 
Atlantic cable procession. The buildings that escaped the 
fire were four in number ; these, with the store-house, a 
three-story brick building, and two smaller ones, were con- 
verted into barracks for the volunteers. Tlie 5 2d New York 
Volunteers, commanded by Colonel Paul Frank, and other 
troops, had occupied this camp before my taking charge ; 
it was, at this time, in the possession of the TSth Cameron 
Rifle Highlanders, afterwards consolidated with the Van 
Buren Light Infantry — 104th New York Volunteers, and by 
the Scott's 900, United States Volunteer Cavalry, com- 
manded by Colonel James B. Swain, by whose name they 
were at this time better known ; besides these the Marine 
Artillery, commanded by Colonel Manchester, occupied 
one of the buildings before mentioned. These three oi-gan- 
izations, in one camp, totally independent of each other, 



28 LEAVES FROM THE 

was a daily and fruitful source of annoyance, as the orders 
I found it necessary to issue for the sanitary regulation of 
the camp were but partially obeyed, each of the comman- 
dants claiming that the duty required belonged to one of 
the other regiments. 

Strange as it may appear, there had not been any hos- 
pital established at this post until I took charge of it ; the 
sick were previously either allowed to remain in the quar- 
ters, to the danger and discomfort of the men, or crammed 
into a small room of the building used by the boatmen 
employed by the health officer. Owing to the kindness of 
Dr. Gunn, the j^ort physician, I got the use of this build- 
ing, and, at a trifling cost to the State, converted it into a 
very good hospital, in which I accommodated the sick of 
the three different regiments in the camp. I continued in 
the discharge of the onerous duties of this and the other 
camps, until recruiting was stopped by order of the Secre- 
tary of War, when I turned it over to Dr. Walter Kidder, 
for whom I had procured the appointment of surgeon 
to Scott's 900, which at this time was nearly recruited 
io its full number, and which soon left for Washington, 
where it has since done mounted provost-guard duty. 

I now devoted my time to compiling a statistical re- 
j->ort of my services as post surgeon, and on their being 
completed proceeded to Washington and personally pre- 
sented them to the surgeon-general, who was so well sat- 
isfied Avith the manner I had discharged the duties of the 
office that he requested me to proceed to the Peninsula in 
a professional capacity. This was a change of location I 
had not expected, but as obedience, in my opinion, is the 
paramount duty of all military men, I hesitated not to 
coU?ply. Making a hurried visit to my home, in New 
York, I returned to Baltimore and took the steamer 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 29 

Georgiana, for Fortress Monroe, where I presented my 
instructions to Dr. Ciiyler, the medical director at that 
place. I then visited Norfolk, commanded by General 
Viele, which but a short time before had been retaken 
from the rebels ; and while here went through the navy 
yard at Gosport, on the opposite bank of the Elizabeth 
river, adjoining Portsmouth, which is reached by a ferry. 
This splendid yard had been burned by the Confederates 
before its surrender ; the loss sustained by this uncalled- 
for and barbarous destruction of property was immense. 
On driving through the yard I was struck with the mag- 
nitude of the buildings, machinery, and docks, which were 
now lying in a heap of confused ruin, and the desolation 
saddened and disgusted me. I was accompanied by tw^o 
officers of the Brazilian navy, whose ship lay at Fortress 
Monroe. We returned slowly to Norfolk, where the in- 
cidents related below occurred. I copy from my diary 
of the 27th of May. 

A really pleasant incident occurred at General Yiele's 
liead-quarters, last evening. About nine o'clock, in a piti- 
less northeast storm, a deputation of citizens, composed of 
some of the most respectable persons in the community, 
called upon the general, and desired to take the oath of alle- 
giance to the government. A more impressive scene can 
scarcely be imagined than that presented in the general's 
room, on the occasion alluded to. About forty persons were 
there assembled, embracing a fair representation of the solid 
men of the place; and the heartfelt earnestness with which 
they pledged themselves to sustain the Constitution of the 
United States, gave evidence that loyalty was tlie sole incen- 
tive to the renewal of their plighted faith. Some were aged 
citizens, who had passed long years of their fife under thejbless- 
ings of the Union, and who were anxious to close their days 



30 LEAVES FROM THE 

in the enjoyment of tlie benefits so long vouchsafed to them, 
but of which they have been so ruthlessly deprived by this 
existing infamous rebellion. Others were in the meridian 
of life ; while others were just entering upon the stage of ac- 
tive duty, — and all were deeply impressed by the importance 
of the act in which they were engaged. General Viele ad- 
dressed to them a few words of encouragement, and assured 
them, that the protecting arm of the government would 
be effectively extended over them in the future. After a 
pleasant interview of half an hour, the party departed, 
highly gratified with their visit, and confident that other 
deputations of a like character would soon follow their 
example. 

Intending to return to the fort next day, I spent the 
evening and next forenoon in looking over the old city of 
Norfolk, and grieved to see the deserted state of its streets 
and emptiness of its stores and warehouses. Nor did my 
uniform escape the notice or jeers of the Secession ladies 
who still remained in the city. Passing the corner of one 
of the streets, in the western part of the town, I saw a lady 
sitting at an open window, with a bright and beautiful 
child playing on the sidewalk under the casement ; feeling 
irresistibly attracted by the little fellow's pleasing face and 
merry gambols, I stopped to speak with him, and one of 
my Brazilian companions handed him an orange. We were, 
at this time, ignorant of any relation between the sickly 
looking lady in the Avindow and the child ; but before we had 
resumed our walk, she had stepped from the house, and 
raising the child in her arms, she took from its little hands 
the orange, and returned it to the donor, with the cutting 
remark, that " she and her child could do without any 
favors from the enemies of her country and plunderers of 
her home!" The scene was so sudden and unexpected, 



DIARV OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 31 

that I was liardly able to reply for my gentlemanly com- 
panion, who did not speak English ; but I informed the 
lady that he was not an American, and visited Norfolk not 
as a belligerent but from curiosity, and his kindness to her 
child, dictated by courtesy alone, was so badly received, 
that it must make a most unfavorable impression on an 
officer of another nation's navy. 

We were informed that the boat for Fortress Monroe 
started at 3 p. m., but on arriving at the wharf, learned 
that General Wool had taken possession of it, and had left 
at one o'clock. The day being Saturday, and I having 
arranged to return, and my companions being anxious to 
get to their ship, we were much disconcerted. Thanks to 
Quarter-master Morton, of General Viele's staff, a tug-boat 
was placed at our disposal, in which we safely reached the 
Roads and were received on board the Brazilian corvette 
Parasia with demonstrations of welcome. I was here made 
acquainted with the officers of this splendid ship, built in 
Rio Janeiro, and manned, from captain to cabin-boy, with 
Brazilians, with but one exception — a Mr. Williams, an 
Englishman, engineer of the vessel, and who was highly 
spoken of by the officers. On our arrival at the fort, 
rumors were in circulation that a fight was in progress or 
expected, on the Chickahominy, and with impatience I 
retired to rest, the steamer for the White House not leav- 
ing until morning. Before I had been an hour in bed, a 
terrible thunder-storm commenced, which frightened the 
inmates of the Hygeia Hotel, where I stopped, — in fact, the 
only hotel at Fortress Monroe, the greater part of it being 
occupied as a hospital, under the charge of Dr. Bountico, 
— so that the portion used for an hotel was limited, and 
miserably furnished. It was kept by one of the Willards, 
of Washington, who added nothing to his reputation by 



32 LEAVES FKOM THE 

the raanagement of this hotel. It rivalled in filth and ex- 
orbitant charges any California ranch that the reader has 
ever heard of In consequence of the crowded condition of 
the house, I was the joint occupant with two others, of a 
dark, small-sized room. Fortunately they were acquaint- 
ances, and one of them, a Mr. Cook, of New York, on 
hearing the very loud thunder, arose from his bed ; scarcely 
had he done so, when a much louder clap and the most 
vivid flash of lightning lit up the room, this was soon fol- 
lowed by a crackling of broken timber and hurried voices in 
confusion, which we learned proceeded from a government 
stable near the hotel, that had been struck and set on fire 
by the lightning. The uproar caused by the fire, lasted 
through the greater part of the night, and morning broke 
long before w^e expected it. Swallowing a hurried break- 
fast, I jDroceeded to the steamer John A. Warner, bound 
for the White House, which, after a pleasant, though tedi- 
ous passage, on the most tortuous river I had ever seen, 
we reached at six o'clock. Anxious to press forward to the 
sphere of my duty, I landed without delay, and found 
spread over the railway track, on the wet and muddy 
ground, over three hundred wounded from the first day's 
fight after the battle of Chickahominy, or by some called 
Seven Pines or Fair Oaks. In order to give the reader a 
clear idea of the engagement I copy from my diary of this 
date, and would here state that I am indebted to ofiicers 
who were on the field, and to Mr. Farrell, of the New 
York press, for the subjoined graj^hic description of this 
bloody and fiercely contested fight, in which so many brave- 
fellows fell, and which will be long remembered by every 
man of the left wing of the army of the Potomac. 



DIAEY OF AN AEMY SUEGEON. 33 



CHAPTEH Yl 



THE BATTLE OF FAIR OAKS. 



The army of the Potomac which, smce the battle of 
Williamsburg, had encamped on the Chickahominy creek, 
with its left wing resting on that stream, were suddenly 
and unexpectedly attacked by the rebels, under General 
Joe Johnston ; the attack began by driving in the pickets 
of Casey's division, and so sudden and fierce was the on- 
slaught that before the line of battle could be formed the 
enemy had fired several volleys into, and killed many in 
their tents. So great was the consternation and confiision 
caused by the charge, that the brigade which formed tlie 
centre of the division was thrown into disorder, one or 
two regiments of which broke and run, but the 88th New 
York, 83d Pennsylvania, 5th New Hampshire, and 3d 
Maine Volunteers, succeeded in rallying to the fight and 
checked the panic and dismay caused by those two regi- 
ments turning their backs on the enemy. The engagement 
now became general along the line, and the corps to which 
these regiments belonged, under the command of General 
Sumner, were soon under a heavy and murderous fire. 
The commanding general soon learned of the assaults on 
his left wing and the unfortunate disorder into whicli 
Casey's division was thrown, and ordered a reinforcement 
to support tlie columns, which had now borne for two hours 
the hottest part of the fight. The soft and muddy state 
of the ground along the creek, and at Seven Pines, ren- 



34 LEAVES FROM THE 

dered the movements of the artillery a most difficult task, 
and the day was flir spent before sufficient numbers arrived 
to prevent Johnston, the rebel general, carrying out his de- 
sign of cutting off the left wing from the centre and thus 
whipping them in detail. The sultry heat of the atmos- 
phere told terribly on the men and horses, and increased the 
fatigues caused by the condition of the ground. But not- 
withstanding these impediments the charges of the rebels, 
though made in a style of daring, and with a gallant bear- 
ing seldom excelled, were met by our men with the most 
unflinching heroism, and on two occasions the order given 
to dislodge the rebels from the copse-wood adjoining the 
Seven Pines, from which the battle takes its name, was con- 
ducted with unhesitating alacrity and spirit, and the hotly 
contested possession of the ground, cost the lives of many 
hundred brave fellows. In one of these affairs, a corporal of 
the 88th iSTew York Volunteers, Irish Brigade, got sep- 
arated from his company, by pressing onward too eagerly 
when the rest of his column were ordered to halt, and be- 
fore he could recover his position found himself surrounded 
by over a dozen Confederates, who loudly ordered him to 
surrender ; without replying to their demand he stepped 
aside and, aiming his musket, shot a sergeant of the 11th 
Mississippi, and then retreating behind a tree, wliere, for a 
few moments, he was concealed, he reloaded his piece, 
again advanced, and taking aim picked out another, who 
fell from the mass of yelling rebels ; by this time his regi- 
ment had regained the ground it temporarily lost, and he, 
again falling into its ranks, advanced to the edge of the 
wood, from which the enemy had been driven, but to 
which they soon returned strongly reinforced, and, in turn, 
drove our men from their vantage ground. A minie-ball 
having struck one of the officers of his regiment, this cor- 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SUKGEON. 35 

poral, and a companion, lifted him from the ground to 
carry him to the rear, and while so engaged he was shot 
through the ribs ; in this condition, and side by side with 
his captain, he was, after a tedious delay of many hours, 
carried to the railway station, and placed on board the 
freight car, with 300 others. I met him when the train 
arrived at the White House, and during my professional at- 
tendance on his mortal wound received from him the fore- 
going facts. The train that brought this humble but brave 
corporal, brought down 65 of the wounded of this regi- 
ment and over two hundred of other regiments of the 
division. All of these were wounded in the repeated con- 
tests for the possession of the copse-w^ood, but as it aflbrd- 
ed good cover for the enemy's riflemen it was deemed im- 
portant to dislodge them from it. 

Saturday night closed in on the contending forces, and 
the result of the day's fighting was clearly in favor of the 
rebels. The Union loss could not be less, in killed and 
wounded, than 3500. The rebel loss was not so large, 
though their loss in having their daring leader. General 
Johnston, wounded, was a heavy blow. During the night 
the men slept on their arms, and a heavy thunder-shower 
deprived them of the rest so much needed after their day's 
hard fighting, and, if possible, made worse the condition of 
their muddy camping-ground. Sunday morning broke 
bright and clear, and a glaring summer's sun shone down 
on the mud-stained and begrimed ranks of the contending 
armies. Orders having been issued by the commanding 
general, McClellan, to attack the enemy, a hurried break- 
fast was swallowed, and the long-roll being sounded, the 
line was formed of fresh troops, the ranks of those regi- 
ments engaged the day before being sadly thinned by the 
casualties of the fight. 



36 LEAVES FEOM THE 

The attack on General Casey's division, wliicli it appears 
numbered only about six thousand men, was made sud- 
denly by a force of about thirty-five thousand rebels. Gen- 
eral Casey's camp was located in a corn-field, surrounded 
by woods; and the enemy, after driving in his pickets, 
which were a mile in advance, made a sudden dash on the 
camp, with the above-named immensely superior force. 
The troops of General Casey fought splendidly, the general 
himself and his field-oflacers braving danger without flinch- 
ing ; but in the face of overwhelming numbers, they were 
forced to fall back until reinforcements arrived, as men- 
tioned, in General McClellan's ofiicial report, when the for- 
tunes of the field were speedily turned by the action of 
Heintzelman's, Richardson's, Sedgwick's, Kearney's, and 
Keyes' corps, and a complete victory of the Union army 
was the result. All acknowledge the importance of that 
victory, though our loss was undoubtedly heavy. The 
bayonet charges made by Richardson's and Sedgwick's 
divisions on the flower of the rebel army, commanded 
by Generals Huger, Longstreet, and Rains, were magnifi- 
cently executed, and although the enemy stood the fire of 
our troops bravely, they broke before the vehement charge 
of the bayonet, at every point. The loss on both sides 
during this portion of the action, was very serious, the 
rebels sufifering terribly. 

Saturday, May 31st, 1862, is distinguished to the future 
as the first day of the hard-fought battle of the Seven Pines. 
This battle was an attempt of the rebel generals to force 
our lines and to drive back upon the Chickahominy river, 
now swollen greatly, the left wing of the UnitDu army. 
Many suppose the present high state of the Chickahominy 
river not to be natural, that the rebels by some contrivance 
of dams near its head, have flooded it, and that their 



DIAKY OF AN ARMY SUEGEON. 37 

strategy went so far as to involve our original passage of 
the stream, wbich they are thus thought to have permitted 
that they might swell the stream behind us, and then, by 
an overwhelming attack, cut off and destroy the whole of 
General Keyes' command, and whatever other troops might 
be in its rear. Perfectly informed of our position and force, 
they chose a point for their attack that could least bear it. 
They intended the blow to be desperate, and made it with 
their best troops. Eighteen thousand men of the rebel 
army in one division. Men from North Carolina, Georgia, 
Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Virginia, — men of high 
courage and admirable discipline, led by General Long- 
street, left Richmond at daylight, on that Saturday, and 
went out to battle. They went also to ruin, failure, and 
defeat. ISTever did simple courage more deserve success 
than they did ; never did soldiers falter less under fire or 
show a better front than they did through five long hours 
of that day. But they returned to Richmond, save that 
large proportion of them that, side by side with so many 
of our own brave men, "look proudly to heaven from 
the death-bed of fame." 

Returned to Richmond, and far to the rear of the left 
w4ng, the Chickahominy tumbles turbulently on : the Union 
lines are drawn closer than ever ; the Gaul is still at their 
gates. Though the battle of the Seven Pines may not be 
the bloodiest of the war, it is the most important battle yet 
fought, and it is the one in which the armies of either side 
have had their hardest fight. Nor will it fall far behind 
any other fight in respect to loss, as our own will amount 
to eighteen hundred killed and four thousand wounded, 
while the loss of the enemy was even greater than this. 
Nearly all of our men are accounted for, and the number of 
our missing is consequently small, while of the enemy's 



38 LEAVES FEOM THE 

men we have taken from a thousand to fifteen hundred 
}3risoners. For a short distance beyond the Chicl^a- 
lioininy river the highway to Richmond, known as the 
WiUiamsburg road, runs directly west to the rebel cap- 
ital. Seven miles east of Richmond, on this road, is the 
place known as the Seven Pines ; a common country road, 
known to us as the Nine Mile road, crosses the main road, 
and on the left (our left) runs through the woods towards 
Wiiite Oak Swamp. On the right the road runs in a 
northwesterly direction by Fair Oaks station, on the rail- 
road to Richmond. By this road it is nine miles from 
the Seven Pines to the city. In the northwestern angle 
of this road and the main road is a house, and farther up 
the same road, beyond a swampy wood, is another house. 
A third house stands to the right of the Richmond road, 
half a mile nearer to Richmond, and a fourth on the left- 
hand side of that road. Beyond the latter house was a 
large open cultivated field. Towards Richmond both these 
fields are bounded by a thick wood, the edge of which had 
been felled to form an abatis and obstruct the approach 
of the enemy. Dense woods run all along our left, but 
nearly all the battle-field has once been cultivated, though 
in parts of it there was a high growth of wood wdien we 
came up; this was felled and formed abatis. General 
Casey's pickets were in the edge of the wood, beyond the 
house before mentioned, and his camp was formed with his 
first brigade on the right, his second in the centre, and the 
third on the left of a line across the plain in the rear or 
some inconsiderable earthworks hastily thrown up soon 
after his occupation of the point. 

These works, — a redoubt on the left, and a line of rifle- 
pits, — were planned by Lieutenant McAllister, of the United 
States engineers, and executed by Lieutenant E. Walter 



DIAEY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 39 

West, acting engineer on General Casey's staff. It is 
necessary to speak of the condition of General Casey's 
command ; and it will not, perhaps, be amiss* to say of it, 
what is not true of any other division of the ai'my, and 
what w^ill not be true of that division, after a few weeks of 
rest. It was made np, when first organized, of very raw 
troops — the latest enlistments of our immense army. There 
was no cohesive strength, even in the regiments; disci- 
pline was lax ; and tlie men, as soon ahnost as the division 
was formed, were pushed into active service, made to march 
and starve with our year-old regiments; to bivouac and 
fight, side by side, with those who had been out so long as 
to consider themselves veterans. Numbers, consequently, 
became sick, and this weakened his division considerably. 
Moreover, it had, on the day of the battle, an unusually 
extensive picket line, and nearly every regiment had out 
three companies on picket or fatigue duty, — from these 
various causes this division had not in the field, on Saturday, 
more than six thousand effective men. General Longstreet, 
of the rebel army, left Richmond w^ith the whole effective 
force of his command (six brigades), purposely to drive the 
Union forces across the Chickahominy. Other troops also 
came, and a number of prisoners state the force in the field 
at five divisions. They advanced down the Williamsburg 
road, and thus the whole brunt of the first attack fell upon 
General Casey. It was about noon when we first heard 
the scattered fire of our pickets in front. For two or three 
days before, there had been skirmishes between the pick- 
ets near the road in front, and this was mistaken for another 
affair of the same kind, and thus some time was lost, for, 
instead of the dispositions that should have been made, a 
regiment was simply ordered out — the 103d Pennsylvania, 
to support the pickets. This regiment went out quickly, 



40 ' LEAVES FROM THE 

was formed near the road, and almost stumbled upon the 
enemy advancing m line of battle. Before the men had 
even loaded their pieces the One Hundred and Third re 
ceived a full and steady volley, from the effects of which it 
did not recover. That one fire, delivered almost as a com- 
plete surprise, and which our men could not return, cut 
down perhaps one-fifth of the regiment and demoralized 
the remainder. No more service was had from the One 
Hundred and Third that day, and what was worse, the 
men began to stream to the rear, with the old story of 
" cut to pieces ;" it is a shibboleth with many, in which 
they boast their own disgrace, though in this case it was 
somewhat difierent. Of course this stream of men had no 
good effect upon the spirits of their fellows, and thus the 
day began in misfortunes. 

But that one volley, while it annihilated the regiment, 
told, quicker than courier could carry the news, the mis- 
take that had been made, and that the enemy were upon 
us. Casey's force was turned out in a hurry and formed, and 
Colonel Bailey, of New York, Casey's chief of artillery, had 
the enemy's line under his fire before it had gotten through 
the first wood, and before the line was completely formed. 

SjDratt's battery, which was posted in a field to the right 
of the road and near the edge of the wood, and Regan's 
battery, which was also in the same field between Spratt's 
and the house, got into action immediately, and Avere sup- 
ported by the 100th New York, in the road to the left, by 
the 11th Maine and 104th Pennsylvania on their right, 
and by the 92d New York in the rear. Both batteries 
did splendid execution, but the enemy's line advanced 
silently and steadily, receiving the fire with apparently per- 
fect coolness, and firing in return with great effect. As the 
enemy's line came into fire of our infantry, regiment after 



DIAEY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 41 

regiment gave it to tbemiii fine style, but still if there was 
many a gap in their lines, there was no break ; fire after 
fire tore through their ranks but could not break them, 
and our regiments engaged at that point, fell back, a little 
shaky perhaps, but in good order. Spratt's battery was 
composed of Napoleon guns. Four hundred yards in front 
of where it was posted, there was rather a diflScult rail- 
fence, which the rebel line had to cross. As they came up 
to it, the four N^apoleons played upon them fearfully with 
grape and canister. They could not pass the fence. Ev- 
ery time they came up to it, the new discharge tore their 
lines asunder, mowed wide gaps through their formation, 
and held them there beyond the fence. They did not pass 
the fence till Spratt's grape and canister were gone. He 
could not be supplied again, for the wagons were beyond 
the Chickahominy. So the rebels passed the fence, and 
Spratt with his four Napoleons fell back to the redoubt. 
Regan's battery still maintained its fierce fire. But now 
the enemy dressed his line in the most perfect manner, and 
made for that. Should he have a few more pieces ? Not 
if fire could prevent it, and the fire of the battery became 
warmer, while that of the four infantry regiments that sup- 
ported it was redoubled. But fire could not prevent it. 
General Casey saw that, in spite of what he could do, the 
battery was gone. The old hero, conspicuous on his large 
gray horse, and by his white hair, rode in the thickest of 
the fire, formed the four regiments, the 92d and 100th New 
York, the 11th Maine, and the 104th Pennsylvania, into line, 
gave the word, and led tlie charge in person. Fire could not 
save the hattery^ hut the bayonet did! Back went the rebel 
line, driven fairly out of existence. Plenty were behind 
however to take its place, and still the enemy came on. 
And now a new line appeared on the right flank of Casey's 



42 



LEAVES FROM THE 



front, and Regan's battery and its supports fell back. 
Another attack came simultaneously on the left flank, held 
by the 98th and 96th New York, and they too retired, 
still in good order. Casey's division was thus fairly driven 
into his first line of defence, and the enemy advanced 
against that in the redoubt. On the left was Bates' bat- 
tery of six pieces, which immediately began to put in rea- 
sons why it should not be taken. In support, were the 
81st and 85th New York, and 85th and lOlst Pennsylva- 
nia ; Fitch's battery was posted to the right, and in rear 
of the redoubt, behind this line, Casey's other regiments 
now retired. There was a silence of a few moments, and 
the rebel line again began its terrible advance. Bates' and 
Fitch's batteries had already opened, and now also the four 
rebel batteries did the same ; the rebel infantry, and our 
own infantry. Never since this war began has there been 
heard a more terrible fusilade. At this time the left of the 
rebel line was formed of Jenkins' Palmetto sharpshooters 
(South Carolinians), the 6th South Carolina regiment, and 
the 6th North Carolina. A fair view of this line was ob- 
structed by the abatis of fallen timber between us and it ; 
but we knew how steadily it came on, for over th» obstruc- 
tion of branches and green leaves, we could see the liglit 
faint fringe of smoke curl up from the continued file fire, 
and far above the smoke their white battle-flag fluttered 
proudly out and showed how fast they came. This battle- 
flag is, doubtless, what has given rise to the many stories 
of the enemy's exhibition of flags of truce in battle ; it is a 
small square white flag, with sometimes a regimental in- 
signia upon the centre, but at others a green cross charged 
with stars. The enemy reached the redoubt and the rifle- 
pits, and stormed both. In the redoubt was left Bates' 
whole battery and two of Spratts' guns, because they 



DIARY OF AN ARIIY SURGEON. 43 

could not be taken away, but every gun was spiked. Out 
of one lot of one hundred and tbirty-eight horses, only 
twenty-eight were left alive. Casey's resistance w^as now 
pretty well done with ; his batteries were all en route rear- 
ward, and the majority of his regiments were completely 
broken, but we must not overlook what the gallant old 
soldier had already really done. General Keyes had ap- 
parently not been from the first very sanguine of his ability 
to hold Casey's position, and had given his whole attention 
to see that Couch's line of battle behind Casey should be 
such as to hold the enemy and check him there at least. 
Thus Casey was so far left alone, save some assistance 
rendered by the New York 62d, 55th, and a regiment 
from Kearney's division. But this assistance was com- 
pletely ineifective. 

The attack began shortly after twelve o'clock, and the 
battle was in full fury at two; for three hours and a 
half, General Casey, with six thousand raw troops, had sus- 
tained the whole w^eight of the rebel onset, an onset made 
by a force at least triple his own, and with the very oldest 
regiments of the Southern army. From Casey's front to 
the point of his last resistance it is not half a mile, and it 
had taken the enemiy three hours and a half of hard fighting ; 
he had lost by casualties nearly every fourth man he had 
in the field. He had lost many of his best officers, includ- 
ing his gallant and capable chief of artillery. Colonel 
Bailey, and now, at last, he was compelled, wdth a heavy 
heart, to relinquish the unequal struggle. During the 
quiet that ensued, after the loss of Casey's last position, 
General Heintzelman arrived upon the field and assumed 
the cornmand that had been previously held by General 
Keyes. 

General Couch, upon whose command the enemy was 



4:4c LEAVES FEOM THE 

next to fall, had upon the field parts of twelve regiments. 
The brigade that contained his oldest troops, General 
Devin's, had only the Yth and 10th Massachusetts, and the 
36th New York, on the field, and each of these regiments 
had three companies out on picket. Peck's brigade also, 
and Abercrombie (lately Graham's), were both weakened 
in the same way ; but General Couch, ready for any emer- 
gency, prepared to do his best ujjon the first intimation of 
the enemy's advance, his division was quickly turned out 
and posted. Two lines of rifle pits, rather inadequate for 
the purpose, had been constructed in advance of Couch's 
camp, and in open fields to either side of the main road 
and in front of the cross-road ; in the pits to the left of the 
road the 55th New York and the 62d New York had first 
been placed, but when they went ahead the Massachusetts 
Tenth were placed behind the pits with the 93d and 102d 
Pennsylvania on its left and rear ; in the wood on the right 
and a little in rear of the 10th, was posted battery C, 1st 
Pennsylvania Artillery, Captain McCarty. In the j)its to 
the right of the road, and nearest the road, was the 36th 
New York, to the right of the 36th the Yth Massachusetts, 
in rear and to the right of the 'Zth was Captain Miller's 
battery of light twelve pounders. Farther to the right, in 
advance and resting on the Nine Mile road, was the 23d 
Pennsylvania, and behind it the 1st Long Island. The 31st 
and 61st Penns^y Ivania and the First Chasseurs, were also on 
the right towards Fair Oak station. Brady's battery was 
in the same neighborhood, and Flood's battery was placed 
behind the Nine Mile road, near to its junction with the 
main road. Such were the positions taken by the respect- 
ive parts of Couch's command. 

At two o'clock the Williamsburg road was lined with 
a stream on their way to the rear. Many were wounded, 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 45 

and tbey seemed to show their vv^ounds as the explanation 
of why tliey went in that direction. Others were sick, and 
otliers again were the fragments of the broken regiments, 
the 103d, 104th, and other Pennsylvania regiments, for it is 
only simple jnstice t6 say that the Pennsylvanians Avere in 
the majority in this stream. Casey's division, however, 
was composed, in a very large degree, of Pennsylvania 
troops. General Keyes and Couch both endeavored to 
arrest this rearward stream, at first by moral suasion, and 
subsequently by guard. Lieutenant Eccleston, the efficient 
l^rovost marshal of Couch's division, was posted in the 
road with his men, and did what could be done in the 
matter. General Keyes, accompanied by his staff, rode to 
every part of the field, and did much, by the example of 
entire indifference to the enemy's fire, to inspirit the men. 

It was little more than half-past four when the renewed 
advance of the enemy brought them to Couch's line. His 
line was not drawn exactly parallel to the enemy's advance 
but was obliqued in such a manner that its right became 
first engaged. Once more the woods were alive with fire. 
Colonel Neile, with the 23d Pennsylvania, was first into it, 
and by his presence kept up the spirit of his men. His fire 
had been reserved until the enemy were very near him, and 
only six rounds had been discharged when his own men 
and the enemy's were fairly face to face. Then the col- 
onel gave his men the word to charge and went in ahead 
to show them how to do it. Again the cold steel was of- 
fered, and again the men of the South refused it. They 
gave way and scattered before the Twenty-third, and the 
way was clear, but now ISTeile had the fire of the enemy 
upon his right and left and began to suffer severely as he 
fell back to his place. Many of his men also had gone 
down in the charge besides those that were hit, for it was 



46 LEAVES FROM THE 

over difficult ground and as tliey came up again did not 
find their regiment. Thus the Twenty-third was weakened 
but fell back fighting, and Colonel Neile, vnth his colors 
and less than a hundred men, formed on the 1st Long 
Island, the next regiment to his line, and in a few minutes 
later our whole right was in hot battle. There the fight 
seemed to have formed a nucleus, and supports were poured 
in from the left; the 93d and 102d Pennsylvania, and the 
62d l^ew York, were hurried across; and a brigade of 
Kearney's division, Birney's brigade, then on the railroad, 
was ordered to push ahead and get into action at that 
point. 

While these occurrences were going on, on our right, 
another misfortune happened on our left. From its place 
near the rifle pits the Massachusetts Tenth was ordered 
into a piece of ground nearly surrounded with abatis, and 
Avith the thick wood on its left, the 93d and 102d Pennsyl- 
vania were ordered to the right. Thus the Tenth were left 
in a bad place and entirely without support. As the enemy 
advanced firing and torn by the firing of Flood's, Mc- 
Carty's, and Miller's batteries, — for Miller, from his side of 
the field, when he could not get a clear shot at the enemy 
in his front, threw his missiles clear across the field, and 
with awful effect, too, — as the enemy advanced under his 
fire and the Tenth became engaged in front, a body of the 
enemy made their way through the woods on its left. 
Lieutenant Eccleston first discovered this body and rode 
desperately over the field to find General Couch, that he 
might get an order for the Tenth to move and so save it. 
But his exertions were vain, General Couch was in the 
thick of the struggle on the right, too far away to be 
reached in time. 

Colonel Briggs was not aware of the approach of this 



DIARY OF AN AliMY SUEGEON. 47 

body, but as he knew the i^osition that Peck's regiment 
had held, he deemed the report incredible, and went in 
the woods to see. He had not far to go. There they were, 
not only in the woods but through it, and ere an order 
could be given they delivered their fire in the full rear of 
the Tenth. Utter confusion was the result. The rem- 
ment broke, but it proved itself to possess that power 
which has been denied to Volunteers, and claimed as the 
especial attribute of old and so called " regular " soldiers, 
namely, the power of regeneration. It was rallied and be- 
came once more a complete regiment, with only those out 
whose bodies lay upon the field. Nay they did it repeat- 
edly. Four difierent times they were broken on that day, 
and four difierent times the gallant Tenth were rallied and 
went back into the fight. Thus re-formed the Tenth went 
back into the rifie pits to the left of the road. But the left 
now rested upon others. Kearney was in and at it. Ber- 
ry's brigade, and a portion of Jameson's, now held the left, 
and the Tenth was soon called across to take part in the 
bitter struggle at that point which was then our right, but 
which, by the extension of our line, by the arrival of fresh 
troops, on both sides, eventually became the centre. After 
the brilliant fight of the 23d Pennsylvania, which is de- 
scribed above, the enemy brought up a large reinforce- 
ment of fresh troops, and advanced again in the same good 
order that had been observed in his fine throughout the 
battle. Miller's battery, a splendid battery of Napoleons, 
formed in a field in advance of the Nine Mile road, and tore 
the rebel ranks terribly until the rebel artillery got the ex- 
act range of it and hit the pieces every time. Then it 
changed its place, and Brady's battery to the right kept up 
a rapid fire. Soon the 36th New York, the Hh Massa- 
chusetts, the 1st Long Island, the 1st Chasseurs, 61st, 31st, 



48 LEAVES FROM THE 

83cl, and 102d Pennsylvania, 62d New York, and 10th 
Massachusetts, were all hotly engaged at tliat point. Three 
batteries also played on the advancing line, and still it 
came on, it seems as if nothing can stop it. The scene at 
this time, was awfully magnificent, the faint smoke of the 
musketry fire arose lightly all along the line, just so the 
heads of the men could be seen through it, sudden gusts of 
white smoke burst up from the mouth of cannon, all around 
bullets shredded the air and whistled swiftly by, or struck 
into trees, fences, boxes, wagons, or with their peculiar 
chuck into men, and far up in the air shells burst into sud- 
den flame, like shattered stars, and passed away into little 
clouds of white vapor, while others filled the air with a 
shrill scream and hurried on to burst in the rear. Every 
second of time had its especial tone, and every inch of 
Sj^ace was packed with death. It seemed that the enemy's 
advance was checked, for he was fairly stopped in the 
swampy ground, near the Nine Mile road ; but he had 
gained too much to give it up easily, and he tried again, 
and again our line gave way. The 1st Long Island broke, 
but two of Jameson's regiments, the 57th and 63d Penn- 
sylvania, would have more than retrieved it; but Colonel 
Campbell, of the Fifty-seventh, was soon down, but Col- 
onel Hays, of the Sixty-third, kept the men in their places, 
and inspired all around him ; yet the fire was fearful, the 
regiments seemed to melt. 

At this point it was that Colonel Devins received his 
wound. Hardly a man remained mounted, for every horse 
was shot, and the regiments were thinned and thinned ter- 
ribly ; but a few brave men stood there for their country, 
and kept their places. Birney's brigade, of Kearney's 
division, when he advanced, had been ordered to ad- 
vance by the railroad in full time to have reached this 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGKON. 49 

point of oui* hardest fight. Had he reached it, his fresh 
troops poured in after the hard fight ah-eady made, must 
have turned the tide, and the enemy would have been 
routed then ; but he did not, he halted. Patterson's bri- 
gade, formed into Birney's left, went into the swampy 
woods and almost impassable thicket and pushed on stil], 
while Birney with a fair dry road, and the fight not a mile 
away, halted and sat down. 

It is not certain that our men would not still have held 
the point, but now they were ordered to fall back, rallying 
and forming as they went, so that they gave ground and 
kept their order. The fight in that part of the field on the 
Williamsburg road for that day ended a few hundred 
yards farther on. For hour after hour, the enemy with 
continued accession of fresh troops had pushed on, and now 
after he had pushed us a mile, we still went fighting him, 
step by step, and in good order. His impulse was spent 
and he stopped. He occupied our camps that night with 
troops who had not been in action. When the enemy 
finally forced our position on the Nine Mile road, the 
gi^ater part of Couch's division fell back in the direction 
of the Williamsburg road. But the general himself, with 
a smaller body, being nearer to Fair Oaks station, fell back 
across the railroad, and was thus cut off from the army. As 
soon as this was ascertained, he prepared to make the best 
of it. He examined his position carefully, sent men to beat 
up all the roads, and especially along the New Bridge 
road, to see if Sumner might be near. The force with 
Couch was found to consist of four regiments: the 1st 
New York Chasseurs, Colonel Cochrane; the 62d New 
York (Anderson Zouaves), Colonel Riker ; the '7th Massa- 
chusetts, Colonel Russell; and the 31st Pennsylvania, Col- 
onel Williams ; and Brady's battery of four pieces. His 

3 



50 LEAVES FKOM THE 

position was in a large oj^en field, in an angle between the 
railroad and a road that runs northward towards New 
Bridge. On the west was a dense wood from which the 
enemy might emerge any moment ; and on the south was 
the railroad and a fringe of wood, through which they 
could cross for a flank attack. Whether he had any road 
for retreat, the general did not know. So he formed two 
lines of battle, — one towards the railroad, with a section of 
Brady's battery, supported by the Massachusetts 7th; an- 
other towards the wood to the west, with the other section 
of the battery, supported by th'e Anderson Zouaves, with 
the 31st Pennsylvania and the 1st Chasseurs formed close 
in the edge of the wood, under cover of a rail-fence. 
Lieutenant Edwards, who had ridden down the New 
Bridge road, came back with word that Sedgwick's divi- 
sion was only two miles away. Couch knew he could 
hold his ground till they came, so he was saved the misfor- 
tune of defeat. They hurried on, and came up at half-past 
five o'clock, General Sumner with them. No change was 
made in Couch's dispositions, save in the comparative 
strength with which either line was held. The 1st Minne- 
sota, Colonel Sully, was formed on the right of the Chas- 
seurs, and Ricketts' battery of Napoleons to the left of the 
3 1st. All the rest of the division was formed on the line 
towards the railroad. Shortly after six o'clock the enemy 
advanced through the woods, on the west — in what force,, 
it cannot be said with certainty. Prisoners report it at 
eight thousand. As we caught two brigadiers, the number 
is, perhaps, not overstated. 

As soon as the line of the enemy's advance was knowm, 
Ricketts' battery opened, and threw grape and canister into 
the wood with great eff'ect. Brady was not idle either. 
One wounded man, of a North Carolina regiment, taken 



DIARY OF AN AKMY SURGEON. 51 

from the field the next day, says, "that he fell at the first 
fire ; and, that his regiment only went a dozen yards beyond 
the spot where he fell, until it broke." It could not be 
rallied. But the line kept on until it was in the edge of 
the wood, and within ten paces of where the 31st Pennsyl- 
vania, the 1st Chasseurs, and the 1st Minnesota, lay on 
their faces, between the rebels and the battery. The rebels 
could not see them, and as they came to the edge of the 
wood, they delivered one volley at the Anderson Zouaves, 
in the field further out. That volley killed Colonel Riker, 
and the Zouaves broke and ran. Yet they ran only twenty 
yards, when they were rallied, and went right up to the edge 
of the wood and opened their fire. N'o sooner had the rebels 
by that volley emptied their guns, than the three regi- 
ments that liad been lying down arose to their feet, and 
poured a volley in at almost no distance at all. "That 
volley settled that fight." Through the woods in front, 
the rebels lay dead and wounded in heaps. Brigadier- 
general A. C. Davis was found dead there ; and Brigadier- 
general Pettigrew, wounded and his horse killed, was there 
taken j^risoner. When the rebel line advanced in the 
wood, Gorman's brigade, from the line of battle on the 
railroad, was thrown forward on the right flank of the 
rebel line, to turn it ; but when the musketry broke that 
line, and the rebels fell into confusion, the brigade pressed 
forward, and so cut off" and drove in a large number of 
prisoners. So closed the battle for that day, and General 
Couch (than whom his country has no better or braver 
soldier) slept that night further forward on the road to 
Richmond, nearer to the rebel capital than he had done 
any night before. Both armies lay upon the field. Many 
w^ounds were dressed at Savage's, which had been made 
immediately a hospital, and between that point and the 



52 LEAVES FROM TRE 

battle-field many remarkable experiences were compared. 
Perhaps the most notable was the great number of officers 
hit. Brigadier-general Devins received a bullet in the 
right leg, biit kept the field for two hours afterwards. 
Brigadier-general Wessels was struck by a ball in the 
shoulder, but not disabled. A musket-ball passed across 
General Couch's breast, and only cut his coat. Colonel 
Briggs, of the Massachusetts lOVh, was struck in three 
places, and disabled finally by a rifle-ball that passed 
through both thighs. Colonels Riker of the 62d New 
York, Dodge of the 87th New York, Bailey of tlie 1st 
New York Artillery, and Ripley of the 61st Pennsylvania, 
were all killed. Colonels McCartey of the 93d Pennsylva- 
nia, Rowley of the 102d Pennsylvania, Van Wyck of the 
56th New York, and Hunt of the 92d Ne^ York, were 
wounded. Majors Ely of the 23d Pennsylvania, and 
King of the 85th New York, were also severely wounded. 
The loss of horses tells where the officers who rode them 
were. General Keyes had a horse hit, and Captain Suydam, 
of his staff, had his horse killed. All the gentlemen of 
Couch's staff, Captain Walker, and Lieutenants Edwards 
and Burt, had horses shot. General Peck's was hit three 
times. General Casey's horse was hit, also General Devins'. 
In the fight of Saturday, the bulk of the losses on either 
side took place, and show the terrific severity of the fight- 
ing. Our loss for that day will scarcely fall short of 3000 
killed and wounded. Upon the field of battle the enemy's 
loss was estimated at probably two to one for our own, and the 
appearance of the field made the estimate seem reasonable. 
On the second day, which was Sunday, our men stood to 
their arms before daylight. As the enemy chooses Sun- 
day for his battle-days, we expected him; but we knew 
that if he did not advance, there would be no battle, as 



DIARY OF AN AKMY SUEGEON. 63 

Sunday is never chosen for a movement on om* part, and 
would not be, apparently, to win back Our camp. So, from 
very early on Sunday it began to look, what it proved to 
be, an affair of three days. Our men, at dawii on Sunday, 
were disposed as follows : 

On the left, stretched across the Richmond road, the Sic- 
kle's brigade was in face of the enemy, at scarcely two hun- 
dred yards' distance, posted on a slope, so that the rise of 
the ground towards the enemy served as a complete cover. 
To the right of Sickles, in a thick swamp, was Patterson's 
Kew Jersey brigade. Both of these brigades faced towards 
Richmond, and this was the point at which our men had 
been }^ushed the hardest and furthest. To the right of 
Patterson was Richardson's brigade, the line of which was 
drawn at rio-ht-ano^les with the line of Sickles and Patter- 
son. Richardson faced towards the flank of the force in 
front of these two brigades. Sedgwick joined on to Rich- 
ardson, and a part of his division assisted to strengthen 
Couch's line, in the wood from. which the rebels had been 
driven on Saturday afternoon. 

Our first anticipations had scarcely settled into the con- 
viction that the enemy inlended to give Sunday to care for 
the dying and dead, than we heard the pickets at it. It 
was in front of Richardson's division. Richardson's line 
ran, as we have intimated, parallel with the railroad, and 
was on the northern side of it. The enemy was in our 
camps on the southern side of it, and in a strong position, 
covered by a swamp. Force was immediately sent for- 
ward to support the pickets, and became engaged in its 
turn. The enemy formed his men in line, and was disposed 
to feel us again. Our men had risen from sleep in antici- 
pation of battle, and their minds were ready for it. They 
were not green troops, and the day gave promise of hard 



54 LEAVES FROM THE 

work. Soon tlie fire became general, and spread along the 
lines of the Irish Brigade, French's brigade, and the brigade 
of General Howard. This day, also, the enemy's fire was 
well directed and severe, but was returned with certainly 
equal effect, and our men pushed forward across the rail- 
road, and down into the swamp ; and now the enemy in his 
turn gave way. It was very difticult ground, and the men 
could not, at all times, keep the line, and were often up to 
their waists in water, in the advance through the swamp. 
Yet still they kept on. Sometimes, too, there may have 
been a weakness under the fire, but the gallantry of the 
officers kept the men up to it. This was once or twice the 
case in Howard's brigade, but by his gallantry he gave an 
example which restored all : two horses were shot from 
under him in this advance, and he received two rifle-balls 
in his right arm, but he bound up the shattered limb in a 
handkerchief, and kept the field. With the continual din 
of the musketry, as it pealed up and down the lines on 
either side, no order could be heard, and only example 
served. Thus the mounted officers were compelled to keep 
ahead, in the advance, to show the men what was wanted. 
There was the Irish Brigade, in all the glory of a fair, free 
fight. Other men go into fights finely, sternly, or indiffer- 
ently, but the only man that really loves it, after all, is the 
green, immortal Irishman. So there the brave lads from 
the old sod, with the chosen Meagher at their head, laughed 
and fought, and joked, as if it were the finest fun in the 
world. We saw one sitting on the edge of a ditch with his 
feet in the water, and the sun and the water, too, very hot, 
and he apparently wounded. As we rode by he called out 
to know if we had ever seen a boiled Irishman. From 
Richardson's division the fire spread around to the New 
Jersey brigade, on the front which the enemy had pushed 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 55 

SO far the day before. Nobly did the Jerseymen stand up 
to it, and push on closer and closer, and the enemy fell 
back through the thick swamp slowly and steadily. On 
this front the fire was not so severe as on Richardson's, but 
still it told heavily on our brave fellows, though it did not 
prevent the advance. Still further to the left was the 
Excelsior Brigade, and General Sickles with it. Though 
on, we believe, his first battle-field, the general had not the 
air or manner of a novice. He was all activity, and thought 
only of the way to win. Sickles' men apparently lost their 
patience, and Ave suppose the ofliicers did, and General 
Sickles especially. When men advance across a battle- 
field, loading and firing as they go, they naturally do not 
go fast, and the Sickles brigade voted the gait to be de- 
cidedly slow. So the order was given to fix bayonets and 
charge, and they did it, not mincingly at all, but in terrible 
earnest, and with a glorious cheer. Some of the rebels 
stood it and held their places, some stood long enough to 
fire their pieces and then run ; but the mass ran at once, 
scampering away through the woods like so many squirrels. 
That ended the fight for Sunday in that direction, for it 
would not do to let the men go rashly too far into the 
woods. We did not know what little arrangements of 
artillery, &c., the enemy might have made there in our 
absence, so with a wise caution the Sickles brigade was 
drawn back to the edge of the wood, and laid there snugly, 
and there it spent its Sunday, ready for visitors, though 
none came, if we except several innocuous shell that the 
enemy threw into the wood, over their heads. On Rich- 
ardson's front, also, the fight dropped ofi" very much as it 
had begun. It was apparently not the design that we 
should make any general advance on Sunday ; so we merely 
drove the enemy away as he came up, and then fell into 



56 LEAVES FEO:SI TUE 

our places again with a true Sunday calm. It was only 
nine a. m., when the calm came, but in this short fight 
much had been done. Howard's brigade alone, lost, in this 
fight, in killed and wounded, over five hundred and thirty- 
six men. 

General McClellan had ridden over very early on Sun- 
day morning, and when the fight first began, he imme- 
diately rode down the Williamsburg road, and over the 
whole scene of action w^hich he directed. His presence 
excited the most intense enthusiasm in the troops, both on 
the field, and later in the day, wiien he rode along the 
lines, and looked kindly on the shattered regiments that 
had been in Saturday's fight. To these brave fellows, " few 
and faint, but fearless still," the young commander ad- 
dressed a few w^ords of pleasant encouragement that thrilled 
every ear, and then rode away. The scene in the woods 
on Sunday told a sad tale, which wull, no doubt, be heard 
with sad ears throughout the South. There lay in heaps 
the dead, and those in mortal agony, terribly mingled, men 
young and old, mostly young, from every Southern State. 

All day Sunday, after our own men had been seen to, 
we had out parties in the woods, wath stretchers (which 
had been sent to us from the White House), bringing in 
the w^ounded rebels, and other parties engaged in burying 
them. Our enemies, tired of the fight, employed the 
greater part of the day in the same way. And so went 
out the second day of the battle of the Seven Pines. On 
Monday morning our position could be summed up about 
thus : Two divisions, much reduced in strength from vari- 
ous causes, had been attacked by a greatly superior force 
of good troops, and driven fully a mile from the first point 
of attack ; but by the ariival of fresh troops the enemy's 
course had been arrested, and his purpose to drive us into 



DIAEY OF AN AEMY SUK-GEON. 57 

the Cliickahominy decidedly defeated. Yet he occupied 
our camps and the position lie had taken. On Sunday he 
had again attaclvcd us, and been compelled to retire with 
loss. But though Richardson's division had driven him on 
the railroad, and Sickles' brigade through the woods on 
the Williamsburg road, he still held nearly all, and cer- 
tainly much the greater part of the ground taken on Sat- 
urday. Some men of the 10th Massachusetts regiment 
went into their camp on Sunday, and brought away a ham ; 
on their return they were greeted by some of the boys of 
one of the New York regiments wdth the w^ell-kuown pop- 
ular chorus — 

Johnny stole the ham, 

Sickles killed the man. 

This exploit was quoted as a piece of dexterity, so near 
were the enemy to the place ; and the camp of the Tenth 
was in the rear of all Couch's division. So now, on Mon- 
day morning, we v»'ere apparently to begin the week well, 
to go forward and reoccupy, alive or dead, the position 
from which the enemy had driven us. Resolution was on 
every face, and all buckled themselves up with a full de- 
termination to do a full share of the work, and not only to 
retrieve what had been lost, but to win more. It was still 
dim and misty when the lines were under arms, and but 
little later when the advance of skirmishers was thrown 
forward. Cautiously the men went on, every step being 
made completely sure before the next W'as taken, until a 
position was gained on the Williamsburg road, where a 
battery could be posted. There a battery was accordingly 
placed so as to command the wdiole road, and again the 
men w^ent on further and further, and the enemy fell back, 
his pickets in sight. It began to look very much as if the 
third day — the day of reoccupation, was to be a bloodless 



58 LEAVES FROM THE 

one. And so it proved, our men pushed on, step by 
step, pushing the rebels on before, with a light exchange of 
fire, but no serious resistance, until we were once more 
entirely at home. Then they pushed on again, through 
camp and beyond it, and once more they were on the road 
to Richmond; and they kept on it, and that night our 
pickets were posted within four miles of the rebel capital, 
and near to a line of works that we fancy is, or represents, 
the celebrated last ditch where the rebels were to make a 
final stand. Thus the affair became complete, we had lost 
our camp, the enemy held it, and now it was retaken, ours 
once more, and we felt a satisfaction in the result that 
would not have been greater if we had retaken the camp 
as bloodily as we had lost it. His departure was a full 
acknowledgment that he had failed, and was defeated in 
the purpose for which he came. Here lay yet a large num- 
ber of the rebel dead, even some of their wounded were 
still alive and uncared for on the third day. 



DIARY OF AN AKMY SURGEON. 59 



CHAPTER YII. 

INCIDENTS AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 

The Richmond and York railroad crosses the Parannkey 
river at the White House. This place, made memorable 
by being the residence of Mrs. Custis, who became the 
wife of Washington, on his visit of three days to the family 
mansion, which, up to the time of writing, stood on the 
bank of the river, was surrounded by a handsome and well- 
kept garden. The house itself was a two and a half story 
frame building, containing six rooms, with out-offices, and, 
by order of General McClellan, was guarded against intru- 
sion, in compliance with a promise made by him to Colonel 
Lee, of the rebel army, who is a descendant of Mrs. Custis. 
The river at this point is quite a large stream, very deep 
and muddy. The opposite bank is but little above the 
level of the stream, which now bore on its winding waters 
a numerous fleet of steamboats, barges, schooners, and every 
imaginable kind of vessel used in transporting troops; and 
the horses, mules, guns, gun-carriages, locomotives, railroad 
cars, and the immense amount of hay, grain, and commis- 
sary stores necessary for the army. Over one thousand 
vessels, of all sizes, were afloat on the river, — some freight- 
ed with ordnance stores, and many others packed with live 
cattle and mules, wdiich from their unceasing uneasiness 
seemed to sufter from the heat and confined quarters. The 
landing of the cattle was an occasion of much sport 
among the hundreds of idlers on the bank ; and as each 
one, tied by its horns, would be hoisted over the vessel's 



60 LEAVES FEOM THE 

side into the river, a sliout of merriment would rend 
the air. 

With the exception of the dwelling and out-houses de- 
scribed, and from which the jDlace derives its name^ there 
is not a dwelhng for a mile round. And the shanties, 
erected by sutlers and refreshment dealers, were the only 
shelters from the burning sun, if I except the pine-trees 
along the river's bank, beneath which, and extending to 
the railroad, the quarter-master, his assistants, post-office, 
telegraph, and a host of other officials, had erected large 
and comfortable tents, in which the business of their de- 
partments was carried on. 

About a mile beyond the White House there was erected 
a large number ofhospital tents, in which were treated the 
sick sent down from the advance. The wretched water 
and miasmatic condition of the Chickahominy kept these 
tents well filled. The rebels having destroyed the railroad 
bridge across the river, the cars were run down to the 
river-side, ffiled with the wounded, after the battle of 
Fair Oaks. It was here, lying around on the track, as 
they had been taken out of the freight-cars in which they 
were transported from Savage's station, I found over 300, 
many of them in a dying condition ; and all of them more 
or less mutilated, and still enveloped in their filthy and 
blood-stained clothing, as they were found on the battle-field. 
Some of these had been attended to by the surgeons, but 
by far the greatest number were sent down to the station 
before receiving any surgical care. On learning that there 
was not any medical officer detailed for this duty, I con- 
sulted with Colonel Ingalls, the chief quarter-master, and 
Dr. Alexander, the medical purveyor, and with their ad- 
vice proceeded to have them taken care of, first telegraj^h- 
ing to the surgeon-general and Dr. Cuyler, the medical 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 61 

director at Fortress Monroe, the exact state of aiFairs. I 
found that there was lymg in the river a large number of 
'steamboats, chartered for the purpose of transporting them, 
but having no orders remained totally inactive. Colonel 
Ingalls at once placed the harbor-master under my orders ; 
and by his aid I got the steamers State of Maine, Elm 
City, and Whildin alongside of the railroad wharf. On 
board of these boats I had the wounded men carried 
on litters by all the civilians I could press into the service, 
and a detail of the 93d New York Volunteers, promptly 
given me by Lieut.-colonel Butler of that regiment, which 
was stationed as a guard over the stores accumulated here. 
The agents of the Sanitary Commission, on board of 
their boat, the Wilson Small, were also in the river, under 
the guidance of Frederick Law Olrastead, Esq., the efficient 
secretary of the Commission. He responded to my call in 
the most prompt and effective manner, and labored with 
me, night and day, to relieve the sufferings of the unfor- 
tunate. The general agent of- the society, Mr. Knapp, 
Mr. Mitchell, and Dr. Ware, were also untiring in their 
exertions. Nor can I ever forget the devoted and self- 
sacrificing services of the ladies of the Commission, Mrs. 
Griffin, Mrs.Howland, and Miss Woolsey, and the invaluable 
aid they rendered in making nutritious beverages and cool- 
ing drinks for the parched lips of the fainting and exhausted 
wounded for forty-eight hours, without intermission or rest. 
They quickly and cheerfully responded to my innumerable 
calls on them for clothing, bandages, lint, &c., and their intel- 
ligent and fatiguing self-imposed duties were discliarged with 
a courtesy and endeavor I have never seen equalled. By 
their aid I was enabled to have the men v^'ell provided with 
clean under-clothing, and freely supplied, on arrival in the 
cars, with tea, coffee, lemonade, &c. Many a poor fellow's 



62 LEAVES FROM THE 

life was thus saved, and the hundreds of blessings asked for 
tliese ladies, by the parched lips of the exhausted bnt 
patient heroes, will doubtless be granted. Without food or 
rest, at all hours, and often under the most trying and 
disagreeable circumstances, they labored cheerfully, cari-y- 
ing hope and comfort to the wounded and weary. Before 
three o'clock, Monday morning, June 2d, I had loaded and 
dispatched the Whildin, under Dr. Smith of Pennsylvania, 
the Elm City, under the care of several physicians and 
surgeons of the Sanitary Commission, and the steamer 
State of Maine, under the care of Dr. McDonald. These 
vessels carried away about twelve hundred, but they con- 
tinued to arrive from the field by hundreds. I felt terribly 
the want of assistants, and called on the surgeons of the 
gunboats Sebago, Marblehead, and Currituck, anchored in 
the river, who quickly lent their aid. I am under obliga- 
tions, of no ordinary kind, to Dr. Quin, of the Sebago, for 
able and unremitting assistance. He worked with me 
steadily and with great skill, for three days and nights, 
and not until exhausted nature compelled him, did he 
relinquish his humane efforts; and again, as soon as he had 
snatched a few hours of rest, he returned to his post. In 
this manner, for the seven successive days and nights, did 
I work, not stopping a moment to eat or sleep, perform- 
ing the necessary amputations, providing steamers, after 
inspecting them, procuring surgeons, stewards, and nurses 
for each vessel, and supplying it with commissary and 
medical stores, and the equally important articles boun- 
tifully contributed by the Sanitary Commission. This 
engagement was the first that really tried the resources 
and efiiciency of this truly good and useful association, and 
nobly did it respond, through its ofiicers and supplies. The 
amount of ice, luxuries, and necessaries, freely given and 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 63 

judiciously selected for the wounded, was immense, and 
I joyfully bear my unqualified testimony to its useful- 
ness. There was at this time, in some of the cities, an 
unjust prejudice against the association, which was even 
entertained by army officers, but it has fully proved itself 
to be the most needful and well-conducted charity that has 
ever been organized on so large a scale. This is, in a great 
manner, owing to the character and usefulness of the gen- 
tlemen 'connected with it, and the truly noble ladies, who, 
at the risk of life and health, and total self denial and 
surrender of every personal comfort and necessary accom- 
dation, have contributed their invaluable personal services. 
The incidents crowded into this eventful week were so very 
numerous, and the writer's time was so completely occu- 
pied, and his mind continually on the stretch to meet the 
multitudinous wants of the occasion, that he had but a scanty 
opportunity to make note of them, and the following are 
but some of the most striking, which from being imprinted 
on his memory, he has been enabled to reproduce, without 
claiming them to be free from the errors inseparable from 
the confusion attendant on a scene of carnage of such mag- 
nitude. 

Among the many wounded brought dowm from the 
battle-field I had abundant opportunit\, while attending to 
their w^ounds, of learning the true state of things on the 
Chickahominy, since it was quite necessary I should know 
whether our army w^as falling back, as in such case the 
White House would be abandoned. Reports to this effect 
having been freely circulated, I lost no opportunity to in- 
form myself of the facts, by interrogatiug such ofiicers as, 
from their position on the field, were likely to be best in- 
formed. From Col. Champlain, of the 3d Michigan Vol- 
unteers, who had received a flesh wound of the thigh, I 



64: LEAVES FEOM THE 

received the following sketch of his regiment's engage- 
ment. Captain Nolan and Lieut. Mason, of this regiment, 
who were also brought doAvn wounded, corroborated this 
statement. In the latter, I met a schoolfellow whom I 
had not seen for twenty years, and our meeting under 
such circumstances was very affecting. 

Col. Champlain'' s Statement. 

After Couch's Division had fallen back, on Saturday, 
Berry's Brigade was brought forward, consisting of the 
1st, 2d, 3d, and 5th Michigan, and 37th New York Vol- 
unteers. The 3d Michigan (Col. C.'s regiment) was thrown 
into the battle in advance, and about half an hour before 
the others arrived. General Kearney directed them to 
attack the enemy on the left side of Bottom's Bridge road. 
The rebels opened fire from among the fallen timber, 
where they laid concealed. On the right wing of this 
regiment, not distant over ten rods, an advance was or- 
dered in double quick on the enemy's position. The 
centre and left wing extended to a thick growth of young 
pines, and by the time it w^as formed in line was within 
thirty feet of the slashes. The rebels now opened a mur- 
derous fire on the centre and left, causing a heavy loss, 
and thinning the ranks of the 3d; but the boys received 
the fire in a most unflinching manner, and before the ene- 
my had time to reload, the right charged on them with 
the bayonet, reserving their fire until the concealed foe 
were drawn from their cover, and as soon as they were in 
sight delivered a deadly volley. This made them break 
and run like sheep, leaving the slashes filled with their 
dead and wounded. The right continued to load and fire 
at the rebels, who made several inefiectual attempts to re- 
form their shattered ranks, but at each volley they again 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SUKGEON. 65 

broke and ran. Thus driven out of the slashes, they 
fell back still fui'ther, and held in this position until rein- 
forced by the balance of their brigade, when they still 
continued to retreat, until we had recovered the ground 
lost by General Couch on that side of the road. While 
this was trans23iring the enemy was gaining ground on the 
other side of the road, and our brigade was in great dan- 
ger of" being flanked; on perceiving which. General Berry 
withdrew his brigade within the slashes, which he held till 
relieved, as night came on. 

As the colonel finished relatins: the foreQ:oino^, a wound- 
ed rebel of the 11th Mississippi, who lay on an adjoining 
mattress, called out, "That is true. I got this wound run- 
ning out of those pines. I was not with my regiment, 
having got separated. As I was told if I shot the one- 
armed General Kearney I would be promoted, and seeing 
him in the field the other side of the road, I left the ranks, 
entered the wood on the opposite side just as our men 
were leaving it, and, turning to run back, I was shot in the 
thigh. Do you think the bone is broken, doctor ?" To 
which I replied that I feared it was ; and on close exami- 
nation found it fractured for four inches of the shaft, and 
W'as obliged to amputate it. He bore the operation with 
great fortitude, and, on being dressed and returned to his 
bed, minus the left leg, he cheerfully said, " Phil Kearney 
is better off now, with his one arm, than I am." 

On the adjoining bed there lay a young, delicate-looking 
fellow, a corporal in the 3d Georgia Volunteers, who had 
lost an arm on the battle-field, in Saturday's fight, and 
whose father, also wounded, was at the time on board oi 
the Daniel Webster, the steamer I selected for use as a re- 
ceiving ship, as it afforded facilities not possessed by any 



66 LEAVES FROM THE 

of the other steamers ; and having dispatched all the steam- 
ers there were ift the river adapted for floating hospitals, 
I was obliged to have a receiving ship for those that would 
arrive. Even this was insufficient. So that I was obliged 
to make requisition on the quarter-master's department for 
forty Sibley tents, which I had erected along the railroad 
track, to protect the wounded from sun and rain, and 
have their wounds dressed and their clothing changed 
without delay. Some of^these men had been lying on the 
battle-field uncared- for for two or three days ; nor could 
this be avoided, as the ground was alternately in the pos- 
session of the Union and rebel troops; and their condition, 
on arrival at the White House, was filthy in the extreme, 
their wounds alive with maggots, their clothing saturated 
and stiff with congealed blood and dried mud. 

The captain of the Georgia regiment before mentioned, 
on hearing my dialogue with the Mississippian, asked me 
what was his destination, or Avhere I intended sending him 
and the other wounded Confederate prisoners. I told him 
I had arranged to have as many of the Confederates left at 
Old Point and Portsmouth, Va., as those hospitals could 
accommodate. He expressed great satisfaction at this 
announcement, and seemed terribly unwilling to go North. 
I was anxious to learn the cause of his hostility to the 
Northern people ; and while engaged with a patient in an 
adjoining bed, made some inquiries of him as to the feeling 
existing in his State. He described it as intensely and 
unanimously hostile ; of many years' growth ; and stated 
that he personally was opposed to war, and had been, for 
his peace proclivities, looked on by his neighbors with sus- 
picion of entertaining Union sentiments. " But," said he, 
"Doctor, when I found it had to come to blows, I raised 
money on my plantation, equipped and mounted a com 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SUKGEDN. 67 

pany of vonng fellows I had recruited, and have paid them 
from my own means ever since." He further said, " I 
liave but that one boy you see lying there with his arm 
shot off," pointing to the corporal ; " and if I had a dozen, 
or was worth a million of dollars, I would risk and lose all 
before I would again consent to live under the United 
States flag." I told him I hoped he would change his 
opinions before his wound was sufl3ciently healed to allow 
him to be exchanged, and I trusted yet to see him a good 
Union man. When I visited the Chesapeake Hospital, 
some weeks after, he recognized me, and renewed the con- 
versation ; and in reply to my inquiry, if he was yet con- 
verted to Unionism, he said there was little hopes of it, 
but if any thing would have such an effect on him, it 
would be the good care and kind treatment he and the 
Confederates had received from me and the other sur- 
geons since they were taken prisoners. As an offset to 
this deep-rooted hostility to the Union, I will mention the 
case of a rebel surgeon, a Doctor McPhail, of Georgia ; he 
had been taken prisoner with a couple of wounded rebel 
officers he w^as attending on the field, and all three were 
sent down to the White House, from whence I forwarded 
them to the Fort, on board the steamer Kennebec, in 
charge of which I had placed Dr. Middleton, Asst. Surgeon 
U. S. A., and Dr. Alvord, of Michigan, who had philan- 
thropically volunteered his services. Dr. McPhail remain- 
ed on board of my receiving hospital-boat with his friends, 
and I allowed him all the liberty and extended to him any 
courtesy in my power. On his going aboard of the Ken- 
nebec, when about to start, he came to bid me farewell, 
and thank me for my kindness. I asked him to what 
State he belonged, and stated I was sorry to see him in 
the rebel service. He replied, he was from Georgia, and 



68 LEAVES FEOM THE 

was ashamed to tell it, as he believed the war, which had 
cost the lives of many dear relatives, could have been 
avoided, but 'for some unscrupulous politicians from his 
own and other Southern States. 

The arrival of wounded and sick continuing unabated, I 
determined to send flway none but the wounded. To put in 
the hospital the sick, for whom room had been made by 
my repeated drafts on it for convalescent soldiers to act as 
nurses. I also obtained from Assistant Quarter-master 
Broadwood fifty contrabands, to aid in carrying the 
wounded, and distributing the lemonade, as the men de- 
tailed from the 96th New York Volunteers were entirely 
worn out with the fatigue of the last three days and nights ; 
but I found the colored men poor substitutes for the will- 
ing boys of the ninety-sixth, who, under the orders of their 
efficient officers, rendered most valuable aid. A number 
of acting assistant-surgeons arrived this day in response 
to my repeated telegraphic requests for them, but I 
found, on an interview, that a very large majority were 
young and inexperienced, and totally incompetent to take 
charge of a steamer. I consequently recommended them 
to proceed to the advance, where the demand for dressers 
was very great, and requested Captain Sawtelle, assistant 
quarter-master, having charge of the transportation, to in- 
form me of the arrival of any surgeon under orders to join 
the advance. By this means I was able to secure the as- 
sistance of some few surgeons, and thus give a respite to 
those gentlemen who had worked so long and faithfully 
with me. The news of the great battle, spread over the 
nation through the newspapers, brouglit hundreds to the 
White House, each one fearing his or her relative or friend 
had fallen a victim ; the repeated inquiries by these per- 
sons, to many of whom I could offi3r no consolation, nor 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 69 

impart any intelligence, seriously hindered me, while it was 
of but little use to them. I adopted a plan : by having ray 
clerk learn from any officer that came down in charge of 
the wounded, or of prisoners, the names of the regiments 
engaged, and by taking a list of those that had arrived, I 
was frequently enabled to give the desired information. 
Judging from the number of dispatches I hourly received 
from Dr. Cayler, at the fort, he must have been similarly 
importuned. As far as I could I used the cooking appara- 
tus of the receiving steamer, the Daniel Webster, to cook 
food for the nurses, where the beef tea and other necessaries 
for the wounded w^ere prepared ; and as there was not any 
hotel or place to procure a meal at the White House, it 
soon became known that if any thing could be had to eat 
it was on board the hospital boats. This brought many 
field and line officers, who for days had not tasted cooked 
food, and from them I learned the latest news, and prob- 
able number of wounded I would be obliged to make pro- 
vision for. 

The Congressional committee on the conduct of the 
war had paid a visit to the White House, accompanied by 
Hon. John C. Tucker, assistant secretary of war, and other 
gentlemen. Two members of it, the Hon. Moses F. Odell, 
M. C, of Brooklyn, and Hon. John Patten, M. C, of Penn- 
sylvania,, worked unceasingly to aid in getting the wounded 
from the cars to the boats, and preserving order. In this 
they were ably seconded by Col. Wm. Borden, of New 
York, agent of the Fall River line of steamers, two of 
which, the Canonicus and State of Maine, were being used as 
hospital boats, and both of them were models of cleanliness 
and order, and well worthy the imitation of others. 

The number of woimded was so great that I was obliged 
to have mattresses spread on the saloon flooj's of the 



70 LEAVES FROM THE 

steamers, on each of which a patient was laid. And find- 
ing it ranch cooler and easier, I selected the worst cases for 
these beds. Frequently I have heard the poor fellows, who 
now lay helpless beside each other, recount the bloody 
deeds of those two days ; and on one occasion I was called 
to separate two who had quarrelled. Both were Irishmen, 
and had been friends, working for a stevedore. One went 
to Mobile, where he entered the Confederate service; 
the other, remaining in New York, joined the Irish Bri- 
gade. They had not met for seven years, and their recogni- 
tion, under these peculiar and trying circumstances, was 
the opposite to friendly, and I have no doubt, if able, they 
would have had a set-to. Each reviled the other for hav- 
ing taken up arms on his side, and freely used the names 
of traitors and turncoats. This turbulent scene had 
scarcely been ended by the removal to another part of the 
vessel, of one of the belligerents, before another, of a very 
difierent nature, occurred. It appears that a private of the 
15th Massachusetts Volunteers had, on the death of his 
wife, some years ago, gone West, taking his two children 
with him. One, a daughter, had married in Detroit ; the 
other went to Grand Rapids, the father returning to Bos- 
ton. The son, on the breaking out of the rebellion, joined 
the 3d Michigan Volunteers, and the father the 15th Mas- 
sachusetts; and here, after a separation of several years, 
they met on board the hospital steamer, both wounded. 
The meeting was very afiecting, the old man, with a se- 
vere wound of the shoulder, and a flesh wound of the leg^ 
crawled from his bed to embrace his son, who lay terribly 
mangled by the explosion of a shell, from which he died 
the following morning. There arrived this day, with the 
wounded, a private of one of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 
who had become a raving and violent maniac from fright, 



DIAFwY OF AN AliMY SDEGEON. Tl 

The shock to his nervous system was more than he could 
bear. His exclamations of terror were piteous and heart- 
rending, and caused such discomfort to the other sufferers 
that I sent him on shore to the hospital, to do which six of 
the strongest men were barely sufficient. 

Mr. Clement Barclay, of Philadelphia, has been most ac- 
tive and untiring in his exertions in aiding the transporta- 
tion of the wounded and carrying out my suggestions, 
which he asked and cheerfully acted on, he enabled me to 
devote to the operations the necessary time ; he also sent 
for me to the Secretary of War several dispatches to have 
steamers and surgeons sent on, and rendered such services 
as only could be contributed by a gentleman of ability and 
whole-souled philanthropy. 

The staif of volunteer nurses was increased this day 
by several ladies : one, the wife of Lieut.-col. Chas. Samp- 
son of the 3d Maine Volunteers, was most active and use- 
ful, and did much to alleviate the sufferings of the brave 
fellows, all of whom bore their w^ounds, and subsequent 
exposure and want of care on the field, with wonderful 
and uncomplaining heroism. Where their parched lips re- 
ceived the cup of tea, gruel, or lemonade, or, as in 
many cases, a stimulating drink, they were truly grateful, 
and expressed their thanks to the lady nurses in a very 
flattering manner. 

On Thursday night, at 1 1 p. m., I received a dispatch 
from the advance that a cargo of 250 wounded had left for 
the White House at 6 p. m., and asking if they had 
arrived, as the officer in charge had failed to telegraph his 
arrival, as ordered. I proceeded, with about fifty nurses 
carrying lanterns, along the road for a mile, the rain pour- 
ing in torrents, not meeting the train. Several of them sat 
down, myself among the number, and soon fell asleep, the 



7^ LEAVES FROM THK 

first I had since the Saturday night previous. I had lain 
on the wet ground for about an hour, when I was awakened 
by the shrill whistle of the locomotive, making up in speed 
for the loss of time it had sustained by running oflT the 
track near Dispatch station. When these had been re- 
ceived and cared for, I determined to return with the train 
to the ad^^ance, to learn, by personal observation, the num- 
ber of wounded still remaining. We started at three in 
the morning, and after a tedious ride of three hours reached 
Fair Oaks station. I then procured a horse and orderly to 
visit the hospitals and learn the number each contained. 
To do this it was necessary to pass near the battle-field, the 
odor from which was insufierable. For over a mile, the 
ground was thickly strewn with unburied men, mules, 
and horses, whose decomposing bodies infected the atmos- 
phere for miles. Having collected all the wounded together 
fit to b© removed, I proceeded with two hundred of them 
to the White House, the rest to follow the return of the 
train. I had them conveyed on board of the Louisiana, 
one of the largest and best boats chartered by the govern- 
ment, and determined on the arrival of the others from the 
advance, to proceed in person with them to a Northern 
hospital. My reasons for so doing were, that I had re- 
ceived all the wounded who for some time would be fit for 
removal, and as among those last sent doAvn, were very 
many of the most dangerous cases, — many of them having 
lain on the battle-field un cared for for several days, — and 
as all the surgeons in whom I could place confidence had 
been dispatched with the other steamers that took away 
over four thousand of the wounded ; I decided on going 
with these myself, taking Dr. Bates, surgeon of the 15th 
Massachusetts, and Doctors Case and Robinson, of Bufialo, 
as assistants. 



DIAKY OF AN AEMY SUEGEON. TS 

"Wednesday night the train from Fair Oaks station, M'ith 
over two hundred wounded, was delayed nearly three 
hours by the followhig causes. It appears that a rebel . 
cavalry company of Stuart's brigade conceived the idea of 
cutting off the communication between White House and 
head-quarters, and made a sudden dash at the train, which, 
in consequence of the track having been w^ashed away with 
the late heavy rain, was proceeding at a very slow pace. 
A shot from one of their carbines disabling the engineer, 
the fireman stopped the locomotive, and the rebels pro- 
ceeded to rifle the cars. Ascertaining that it contained 
wounded, they were not very close in their scrutiny, and 
failed to discover a paymaster's safe, containing thirty 
thousand dollars of government funds, which Paymaster 
Taylor was returning to the White House with, having 
been obliged, by the confusion consequent on the battle, to 
suspend paying the men of the brigade to which he was 
attached. The attack on the train was so sudden and un- 
expected, and the means of resistance at hand so feeble, 
that the paymaster, leaving the safe with the money be- 
hind him on the car, sought refuge in an adjoining wood. 
The train, after some delay, was allowed to proceed to its 
destination, and the valuable, but much-coveted prize, was 
found in one of the freight cars, and handed over to Cap- 
tain Sawtelle, of the quarter-master's department. The 
frightened paymaster made his appearance at the White 
House in a state of great trepidation for the supposed loss 
of the money ; but, after some bantering and ridicule for his 
cowardly desertion of the treasure, was informed of its 
safety, to his great and unconcealed joy. 

Among the w^ounded which arrived from the field on 
Wednesday, was a young private of the 1st Long Island 
regiment, son of Captain Still well, of that corps, who had 

4 



74: LEAVES FROM THE 

been shot through tlie body. He was carried on board 
while I was busily engaged in extracting a musket-ball 
from beneath the frontal bone of a young fellow of the 
103d Pennsylvania Volunteers. His father, who was sick at 
the White House, having been sent off the field in a feeble 
state, was a friend of Hon. Moses F. Odell, who was 
working with unflagging and laborious zeal. This gentle- 
man requested my care for young Stillwell. The family 
resided in Brooklyn, New York. I was unable to give any 
reason to hope for his recovery, as he was then sinking, 
and died in a few hours. The body, through the exertions 
of Mr. Odell, was embalmed, and was taken by me on the 
Louisiana to Fortress Monroe, on the following Saturday, 
where I was obliged to leave it, in consequence of the pre- 
vious orders issued forbidding the transportation North of 
dead bodies. I was, however, enabled to recover it on my 
return from Philadelphia, from which place I brought his 
brother on the steamer, and with the aid of Mr. Martin, 
of New York, a most careful and considerate undertaker, 
had his remains removed to Brooklyn for burial. Mr. 
Martin had accompanied Mr. James Cooke, of New 
York, who was now returning to the White House, to renew 
his valuable labors, of no ordinary kind, for the soldiers. 
Mr. Cooke's kind and cheerful compliance with the many 
requests of the suffering, and his untiring attendance on 
them, was a most valuable assistance, and a blessing to 
many, who gratefully remember his kind and encouraging 
nursing, promptly rendered, without hope of reward but 
that arising from the pleasing knowledge of soothing the 
agonies of a suffering fellow-being 

Another member of the 1st Long Island regiment, which 
had suffered so terribly, was eagerly sought for by his fa- 
ther on Wednesday, but I had not as yet received him. It 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. Yo 

was Corporal Samuel F. Bouton, of Brooklyn. He arrived 
on Thursday, and as I had taken the receiving ship, the 
Daniel Webster, down the river to load the Spaulding from 
lier, and then turned her over to be cleaned and fumigated, 
— rendered necessary by the intolerable stench arising from 
the hundreds of wounded that had been treated, and the 
large number of operations performed on board of her — 
her main-deck and saloon being used for this purpose, — I 
had Corporal Bouton, who was dangerously wounded, car- 
ried on board the Louisiana, and approj^riated enough space 
in the upper saloon to his use. His deeply distressed father 
claimed the privilege of nursing him, to which I assented, 
and detailed a nurse for his special .assistance. The ball 
having passed through the substance of the right lung, his 
breathing was distressingly difficult, and his being able to 
reach his home alive depended on his being kept perfectly 
quiet. No surgical aid could be rendered him, the ball 
having passed out below the shoulder-blade, and medical 
skill was alone useful in relieving the distressing symptoms. 
His father watched and waited on him with the most solici- 
tous affection during the week he was on board the Loui- 
siana, until our arrival in Philadelphia, when he had him 
carried to the Camden and Amboy railroad, en route for 
his home, in a very feeble condition. The fatigue of the 
journey was too much for his fast-failing strength, and as 
the Amboy steamboat came within sight of his native city, 
opposite to Staten Island, he breathed his last. His mother, 
to whom, at Mr. Bouton's request, I had telegraphed from 
Philadelphia of his having started for home, was denied 
the privilege of seeing him alive. Her grief must have 
been heart-rending when she beheld the lifeless body of her 
handsome son. Too many mothers, alas ! have thus sadly 
been bereaved since the breaking out of this unholy war, 



76 I.KAVES FROM THE 

■which has spread desolation over the land, and swept away 
the brightest flowers of its youth and manhood. 

Among the -wonnded Confederate prisoners I brought 
doAvn to Fortress Monroe w\as a major of a North Carolina 
regiment, as noble and as fine-looking a fellow as I had ever 
seen. He had been shot in the thigh, fracturing the thigh 
bone very badly, and rendering amputation necessary, 
which I performed before leaving the White House. After 
the operation ^\'as over, and he had been removed to his 
bed and made comfortable, he thanked us for our attention, 
stating that he had not expected such kind treatment at 
our hands, but said, " Your men wdll never take Richmond, 
unless they do it over the dead and wounded bodies of 
fifty thousand Southern soldiers. They have resolved upon 
it and wdll perform it at any cost of life." He was very 
communicative, and was evidently a gentleman of fine 
education and good social position. He deplored the war 
and its necessity, but said it had been brewing for many 
years, and that sooner or later it should come, and that the 
Northern and Southern people were so dissimilar in their 
habits, sentiments, and social organization, that they never 
could, nor should they be commingled as one people and one 
nation. He argued that the Union had been held together,' 
for the last tw^enty years, by a dislike on the part of the 
Southern people to go to war with the North, and that the 
concessions, wdiich they had from time to time made to the 
North, had only put off the evil, but not remedied it — that 
Webster, Clay, Calhoun, and the statesmen of the last 
generation, had foreseen this rebellion, and had succeeded 
in postponing it by advising compromises of the just 
claims of the South to the peaceful possession of their slave 
property, guaranteed to them by the Constitution, which he 
claimed had been violated by Northern abolitionists. 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 77 



CHAPTER YIII. 

VOYAGE TO FORTRESS MONROE AND PHILADELPHIA. 

We started at 6 p. m,, on Saturday evening, for Fortress 
Monroe, and during the night performed several opera- 
tions. 

Just before leaving, a young private of the 3d Maine 
Volunteers, named Gordon, who had been struck in both 
legs by minie-balls, and whose legs were amputated above 
the knees, died. On the voyage dow^n the river : five more 
bj-eathed their last, having sunk under their wounds and 
exhaustion, and were buried at the fort, which we reached 
on Sunday forenoon. I at once called on Dr. Cuyler, the 
medical director, and was most kindly received by him : he 
knew from the number of wounded I had consigned to 
him, and the daily reports of gentlemen arriving from the 
White House, the extent of my labors, and made full ac- 
knowledgment of them. I also visited General Dix, who 
had relieved General Wool at this station, since my depart- 
ure from it. He came on board the Louisiana, talked kindly 
and sympathized with the wounded sufferers, and expressed 
his full commendation of my services and the orderly con- 
dition of the vessel. On consultation with Dr. Cuyler, we 
decided on removing to the hospitals, at the fort, 85 
wounded Confederates I had on board, and to take an 
equal number from these hos2:)itals, who would thus bene- 
fit by a change to a more northern hospital. A suo^en 
and violent storm sprung up, which made the steamer part 



T8 LEAVES FROM THE 

her moorings from the dock, and run into the steamer 
Flushing, previously sunk opposite the fort. The storm 
continued with unabated fury for three days, and obliged 
us to run the steamer to Newport News, as she had lost 
both her anchors at the fort. On Wednesday, the weather 
giving promise of a change for the better, I took on board 
the wounded Union troops and started for Pliiladelphia 
with my precious cargo, all of whom had, notwithstanding 
the storm, greatly improved from the sea-breezes and care 
bestowed on them, and the attention paid to their wounds. 
On the way down from the White House, the Confederate 
wounded had also picked up in spirits, and became more 
communicative with our men; the dialogues between them 
were of the spiciest kind, each claiming for his side all the 
bravery, and each having some instance of cowardice of 
the troops of their opponents to relate. I was busy the 
whole night in getting through with the operations, and, 
on their completion, in taking a correct list of all on board 
for my own use, a copy of which I supplied to the press. 
During the hours spent in this weary task, many of the 
men being too sick or too sleepy to disturb, I heard a 
Confederate soldier, on the lower deck, singing for his 
own, and the amusement of some dozen others in adjoining 
beds, the following Secesh song, of which I obtained a copy, 
and now give it for the reader's edification. 

Secesh 8o7i(/. 
CHIVALROUS C. S. A. 

Air,—Y\\e. la Compaguie. 

I'll sing you a song of tlie Soutli's sunny clime, 
« Chivalrous C. S. A. 

* Wliicli went to housekeeping once on a time, 
Bully for C. S. A. 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON". 79 

Like heroes and princes tliey lived for awhile, 

Chivalrous C. S. A. 
And routed the Hessians in most gallant style. 

Bully for C. S. A. 

Chorus. — Chivalrous, chivalrous people are they. 
Chivalrous, chivalrous people are they. 
In C. S. A. In C. S. A. 
Ay, in chivalrous C. S. A. 

Oh, they have the finest of musical ears, 

Chivalrous C. S. A. 
Yankee Doodle's too vulgar for them, it appears. 

Bully for C. S. A. 
The North may sing and whistle it still. 

Miserable U. S. A. 
Three cheers for the South now, boys, with a will. 

And groans for the U. S. A, 
Chorus. — ChiA^alrous people are they, &c. 

Thursday morning broke bright and sunny, and found 
us steaming up the DeLaware river. We reached Phila- 
delphia at nine o'clock, and dropping anchor in the stream, 
1 proceeded on shore to report my arrival to Dr. King, the 
medical director at that city. 

Hardly had the Louisiana touched the Callowhill-street 
wharf, when the citizens of Philadelphia, among whom the 
news of her arrival had spread like magic, crowded the 
wharves and streets adjoining, all eager to catch a glimpse 
of the mutilated heroes of Fair Oaks. With the con- 
currence of Dr. King, I determined on giving furloughs to 
all the wounded who were able to proceed to their homes ; 
and as many of them belonged to Pennsylvania regiments, 
this privilege was gladly accepted by nearly half the 
number on board. Experience had taught me that men 
sufiering from wounds and the long-continued privations 
of camp life, would recover much sooner under the kind 



80 LEAVES FRO'M THE 

care of home and friends than in a miUtary hospital, and 
thus return to their duty in far less time than if kept in 
general hospitals. The result proved the correctness of my 
conclusion, and a vast expense was thus spared the govern- 
ment, while it afforded much gratification to the soldier 
and his anxious friends. The Philadelphians, true to their 
well-earned reputation, behaved most generously on this 
occasion. The police force attended and preserved order, 
and afforded full opportunity for us to avail ourselves of 
the promptly tendered services of the fire department, who 
turned out en masse to convey, on their carriages, to 
the different hospitals those poor fellows unable to walk. 
The citizens, generally, vied with each other in bestowing 
kind attentions on them, and before leaving for the seat of 
war, I received, for the benefit of the wounded, bountiful 
contributions of every imaginable luxury and necessary 
indispensable for their use. The Sanitary Commission, 
through its philanthropic and benevolent agent at this city, 
also sent to their general agent liberal supplies of articles 
most needed, and thus replenished the stock on which I 
had largely drawn at the White House. Among those who 
had fallen or been wounded in the Fair Oaks' fight, there 
were many residents of Philadelj^hia, the friends of whom 
heaped the kindest and most generous courtesies on the 
w^riter. Among them was the family of Colonel Lee, who 
had lost a noble son. Lieutenant Lee, of the 81st regiment 
Pennsylvania Volunteers, and whose eldest son. Captain 
Robert Lee, had received a severe wound from a minie- 
ball, which had lodged between the bones of the leg. This 
exemplary family received the kind sympathy of many, 
and elicited my sincere condolence for their bereavements. 
Their delicate and kind attentions, tendered through their 
friend, Joseph P. Loughead, Esq., to me, during my briet 



DIAKY OF AN AEjLY SUKGEON-. 81 

sta}^ in their hospitable city, will ever be gratefully remem- 
bered. It was, indeed, a rich reward for ray services, and 
I sincerely grieved that the pressing necessity for my return 
to the Peninsula, alone prevented me from paying my 
respects in person to that venerable gentleman. Colonel 
Lee, wdiose sorrow-stricken face, w^hen I first met him, at 
Fortress Monroe, bearing manfully up mider the twofold 
afilicting visitation, was a true index to his warm and pa- 
triotic heart, and bespoke liim the worthy father of a 
w^orthy son, whose heroic and uncomplaining fortitude had 
endeared him to me, as it had to his regiment. There 
were many noble wounded under my care at the White 
House, but you. Captain Robert Lee, stand out in pleasing 
prominence on my memory. 

It being necessary to have some repairs done to the 
boilers of the Louisiana, she was taken to the Richmond 
boiler-shops, and this delayed our departure until Mon- 
day. The assistant-surgeons and nurses, as soon as we had 
landed our wounded, eagerly sought leaves of absence, which 
I could not refuse ; and, with some few exceptions, they 
went to pay short visits to their families. This prevented 
my leaving, and obliged me to telegraph for my wife to 
meet me in Pliiladelphia, to allay her anxiety for my safety, 
as I had not been able to write to her for many days ; and 
she knowing I was at the great battle, naturally felt soli- 
citous for my return. On her arrival, in the night train, she 
w-as struck with the changes which fatigue, exposure, and 
the loss of rest, for ten consecutive nights, had effected on 
me. I had hoped, on leaving the White House, to have 
obtained some rest on the voyage, but the many severe 
cases on board, requiring my constant care, the illness of 
Dr. Bates, my first assistant, and the inexperience of the 
others, prevented my snatching an hour's sleep ; and while 

4* 



82 LEAVES FROM THE 

in Philadelphia, the demands on my time were so numerous 
from the friends of the soldiers, that I had but little time 
to recruit my strength, so much needed on my return to 
the Peninsula. 

Visit to the Philadelphia IIos2oltals. ^ 

At the invitation of the surgeons in charge, I visited the 
hospitals in which the wounded volunteers from the several 
steamers I had dispatched from the White House and from 
the Louisiana, were cared for. On my arrival at the U. S. 
hospital, corner of Fifth and Button wood streets, I was un- 
expectedly greeted with a hearty cheer from the poor fel- 
lows, as they lay on their comfortable beds. Many of their 
faces were quite famiHar to me, but the number I had at- 
tended during the preceding eventful week was so large 
that I could not possibly recollect them all. They, how- 
ever, genei-ally recognized me, and expressed their thanks. 
I found here Col. Cross, of the 5th New Hampshire Vol- 
unteers, who had been wounded in the leg, Avhile leading 
on the brigade of which his regiment formed a part, and 
of which he was then in command. I was gratified to 
find him fast recovering from the effect of his wound, but 
suffering mentally from some unjust statements, in relation 
to his regiment, that appeared in one of the New York 
papers of the day previous. Jealous of the well-earned 
reputation of liis gallant corps, and of his own valorous 
conduct, he stated the particulars of his part in the engage- 
ment, which I give in his own words : 

" My regiment, the 5th New Hampshire Volunteers, 
was detached from Howard's Brigade on Saturday even- 
ing, and on Sunday morning occupied the extreme right 
of the line formed by General French, when we skirmish- 
ed with the enemy, and took quite a number of prisoners. 



DIARY OF AN AKMY SURGEON. 83 

The battle had raged some time, when orders came for me 
to go to the rehef of a portion of French's Brigade. I 
moved quickly down the railroad track, passed General 
French, and halted on the track, face to the enemy, in rear 
of the position just occupied by Howard's two regiments, 
the 61st and 64th New York. Being in command of the 
brigade, I sent an order by Adjutant Gregory, of the 61st, 
for the two regiments to clear my front as soon as possible, 
and I would take their place. This was done at once, and 
while the movement was going on, the Irish Brigade came 
up in my rear. The 69th IS'ew York formed on the right 
of my line, and the 88th on my left, but in rear of my hue, 
where they halted. The 5th New Hampshire then enter- 
ed the woods, solitary and alone, the regiments on the 
right and left remaining in their places. About 200 yards 
from the railroad track we came upon the dead and wound- 
ed of the 61st and 64th New York, and a few yards far- 
ther on we met the enemy. Twice we drove back their 
line, and it raUied ; the third time it broke. Most of the 
firing took place at twenty yards range. While advancing 
the second time on the enemy's line, the 69th fired a vol- 
ley right into the backs of my men, for I had obliqued my 
line to prevent being flanked. That volley mortally 
wounded many of my best men. Fortunately, being on 
the railroad track, their aim was high. I expected the 
two regiments on my flanks would have entered the woods 
with us, but they did not ; and why, I never could learn. 
When the enemy ceased firing, my regiment broke by the 
right of companies to the rear, and filed out to the rail- 
road. It was here I received this ugly wound in the thigh, 
that made me acquainted with you. Doctor. My boys 
carried me to the track, in front of the regiment. On the 
track w^e found the two regiments ; and here tw^o men of 



84 LKAVJiS FKOM TRR 

the 69tli relieved my o^v^n men, and carried me to the rear. 
The Irish Brigade, while on the track, lost four killed and 
twenty-seven wounded. The 5th New Hampshire lost 
nearly two hundred killed and wounded, among them my- 
self, the major, and many other officers ; and yet we have 
hardly been mentioned as having been in the fight, and 
tliere, as you see (handing me the newspaper), grossly mis- 
represented. No other regiment was sent into the woods. 
This ended the fight of Sunday. The 5th bore their part 
in its closing scene, and not till then did I turn over the 
command of the 1st Brigade to Col. Parker. It is true 
that the brave Howard's Brigade bore the brunt of Sun- 
day's fight, and no doubt the oflicial reports will do justice 
to the 61st and 64th regiments, which fought so well and 
lost so heavily. But I do w^ant to see justice done the 5th, 
and no more. Wo did our duty, and want our country to 
know it ; and I owe it to the mothers, wdves, and sisters 
of the brave boys I took with me from New Hampshire 
that the truth should be told." 

The recital of the above consumed all the time I could 
spare to this well-ordered establishment. It had been a 
coach fictoiy, and was converted into a hospital. The 
wards w^ere large, and kept well ventilated. The patients, 
one and all, were loud in their praises of the care they 
were receiving, and of the l^nd attentions bestowed on 
them by the ladies of Philadelphia, many of vrhom I saw 
tenderly nursing the wounded, to whom the change from 
the bloody field of Fair Oaks to the comforts they were then 
surrounded with, must have been as strikinoj as ao^reeable. 

Departure from Philadelphia. 

The Louisiana having received the necessary repairs and 
taken in coal, was again hauled into the Callowh ill-street 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 8l» 

wharf, to take on board the generous contributions of the 
Pliiladelphians for the sick and wounded, the necessary- 
commissary stores, and the suppHes for the Sanitary Com- 
mission at the White House. The quarter-master having 
received directions to forward, with all possible haste, a 
number of artillery horses, sixty were put on board, in 
boxes or stalls, fitted up on the main-deck. Y/ith this 
cargo, so un suited to a hospital boat, we started from 
Philadelphia on the afternoon of Monday, June 16th. The 
wharves were again crowded with a dense throng of 
people, to bid us farewell, and send messages to their 
friends in the army, and to obtain promises that all the 
Pennsylvania wounded would, in future, be sent to Phila- 
delphia. A number of gentlemen, Mr. Binney, Mr. Long- 
head, and others, came on board, some with their ladies, to 
see the Louisiana, of whose size they had heard much. ISTor 
did they come empty-handed ; their carriages brought down 
many luxuries for the use of the medical staff on board, and 
valuable contributions for the wounded. Steam being up, 
and the word " all's ready" having been given, the gang- 
plank pulled in, we moved out of the wharf, and amid the 
deafening cheers of the crowd, the Louisiana steamed ma- 
jestically down the Delaware on her mission of mercy and 
relief 

I subjoin a list of the medical staff and nurses on board, 
when we started for Fortress Monroe, which we reached 
on Wednesday : 

List of Medical Staff and IsTurses. 

Surgeon in Charge — Dr. Thomas T. Ellis. 

Acting Assistant Sturgeons — Case, Janner, Maury, Tyson, 

Corson. 
Acting Hospital StevKird — Sankey, 49th Penn. Vols. 



86 LEAVES FKOM THE 

Clerk to Surgeo7i in Charge— G. A. Wood, 40th IST. Y. 
Volunteers. 

Dresser — Piatt Raymond, 5th Wisconsin Volunteers. 

Nurses— E. Graves, E. H. Post, L. Port, G. Foot, Wm. H. 
Boyd, O. L. Guild, C. H. Miller, F. E. Wheeler, G. L. 
Welden, T. PJiae, J. Potts, J. Bliven, L. H. Clapp, E. 
S. King, J. Myerby, E. Emerson, W. P. Barnes, M. H. 
Conley, J. G. Abbott, L. Raymond, J. Legarcy, Wm. 
Billings, Patrick Lyons, E. Almsted, E. Barclay, J. Gay- 
lord, F. W. Carpenter, S. G. Peterson, G. W. Gillen, 
L. Haven. 

These men were members of volunteer regiments, and 
the greater number of them I had obtained from the hos- 
pital at the White House. 

The following Philadelphia ladies requested to be allowed 
to proceed to the White House as volunteer nurses, but 
returned, without rendering any services: Mrs. Corson, 
Mrs. Phillips, Miss Caldwell. In addition to these, we had 
on board, Mr. Jas. Cooke, Mr. Martin, Mr. Taylor; Major 
Brinten, U. S. paymaster ; Mr. Goddard and Mr. Alexan- 
der, his clerks ; and Mr. Stillwell, of Brooklyn — the death 
of whose brother I have mentioned — and who was now 
proceeding to Fortress Monroe to recover his remains, 
which, through the kindness of Dr. Cuyler, he was enabled 
to do. 

Our trip was a most agreeable one. Having par- 
tially recovered from the fatigue, and not having any 
care but the discipline of the nurses to attend to, we 
enjoyed the beautiful sail down the Delaware river and 
bay, and arrived on Wednesday at the fort, well sup- 
plied with every requisite for our future labors. 



DIAKY OF AN AKMY SURGEON. 8T 



CHAPTER IX. 

rOETKESS MONEOE — RETURN TO WHITE HOUSE. 

On our arrival at Fortress Monroe, T anxiously inquired 
for the latest news from the army, — fearing a renewal of 
the fight had taken place, as I was satisfied that the failure 
of the rebels to achieve their design in cutting off our left 
from the main body of the army, though for the present 
foiled, was not totally abandoned ; but I learned from 
General Dix, to whom I introduced the ladies and gen- 
tlemen from Pliiladelphia, that all had been comparatively 
quiet since my departure, and that, with the exception of 
some shelling of the pickets and slight skirmishing of the 
outposts, matters were as I had left them. As a couple of 
hours would necessarily elapse before starting for the 
White House, in consequence of our intention to tow the 
hospital-ship St. Mark, which lay in Hampton Roads 
waiting for a tug, it was spent by the Philadelphians in 
viewing theT'ort. Fortress Monroe, as most of my readers 
are aware, is built on the sandy promonotory forming one 
of the southern boundaries of Chesapeake Bay, and which 
has been better known as Old Point Comfort, — but a few 
years "iftice one of the most popular and fashionable 'South- 
ern watering-places, to accommodate whom a large wooden 
hotel, with a circular front ornamented with Corintliian 
columns, was erected. This hotel, the only one at the 
place, was capable of containing 1,200 guests, and such 
was the rush to the "Point," that frequently 1,500 persons 



88 LEAVES FKOM THE. 

have been accommodated at one time. It contained a fine 
dining-room and concert-room, with all the necessary public 
apartments usual in an hotel on a scale of such magnitude. 
It was at this time, and had been for some months previous, 
used as a United States hospital, under the charge of 
Doctor Bountico, an excellent surgeon, who spared no 
trouble to prevent the ill eifects of its want of ventilation, 
in a great measure owing to its peculiar shape, and in 
consequence of which it was soon after abandoned for 
hospital purposes. Two or three other general hospitals 
were situated near — the Chesapeake and Seminary. The 
reader can hardly imagine a busier scene than that going 
on at this time at Old Point : thousands of soldiers, sutlers, 
camp-followers, and contrabands hurrying to and fro in 
a state of confusion ; the steamboat wharf — the great 
rendezvous — continually crowded with passengers going 
to or returning from the Peninsula. This was the outer 
gate of the army hnes, — all passes to which, were here 
issued, on proper authority, by the Provost Marshal, 
Major W. P. Jones, U. S. A., who performed his arduous 
duties with unusual suavity. His forbearance must have 
been frequently overtaxed by the unreasonable requests 
for passes from persons having no better claim than 
curiosity. The general satisfaction given by Major Jones 
caused much sincere regret on his leaving, when General 
Wool (of whose staff he w^as a member) was relieved by 
General Dix. The major's office was in the hotel building 
adjoining the hospital; and between it and that powllon of 
the building used as an hot^l by Willard, the other 
staff officers, viz., the quarter-masters and commissary, 
were distributed around among the cottages formerly 
used as f^miily residences, or were accommodated in tem- 
porary buildings, a large number of which had been 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 89 

erected for these and various other purposes, such as 
store-houses, post-offices, express-offices, harbor-master of- 
fices, &c. Their number and unfinished appearance, 
scattered around without any reference to order, gave the 
place an appearance very unhke Avhat it presented when 
used as a watering-place before the commencement of the 
rebellion, and bearing a striking resemblance to San Fran- 
cisco or Melbourne in the early days of the gold fever. 
The Rip Raps, on which Fort Wool is being erected, liea 
in the roadstead opposite the fort. It is a small, bare 
rock, and presents the apjoearance, at a distance, of having 
been artificially constructed. It is used as a milit.ary prison, 
the inmates being obliged to work on the fortifications : 
cut ofif from all communication with the mainland, they 
must lead a terrible life. Besides the steamboat wharf 
there is another, the light-house wharf, the approaches to 
which were equally thronged, and, taken in connection 
with the crowds of shipping and steamboats which lined 
the wharves and filled the roadstead, presented a scene of 
animation that could not fail to strike a visitor as peculiar, 
and only to be accounted for by its proximity to the army 
of a great nation in time of war. 

As the Fort was used as the depot of supply for all 
ordnance and other stores, the offices of the heads of each 
department were continually crowded, and any one hav- 
ing business to transact with these gentlemen sufiered an 
unavoidable loss of time, trying to their patience ; and 
in some -cases the outbursts of temj)er caused by the delays 
created amusement, and helped to pass the time spent in 
waiting. Having completed my arrangements on shore, 
we started for Yorktown, where we left the St. Mark, 
and reached the White House next day after another 
scorching trip up the tortuous and muddy Pamunkey. 



90 LEAVES FROM THE 

Back again to the former scenes of our busy labors. But 
how changed an appearance every thing wears ! No hurry- 
ing to and fro from the hospital steamers ; no arrivals of 
trains with wounded ; every thing peaceful ; and the bustle 
and confusion at the quarter-master's, and other offices, 
seems to have quieted down, as if the scorching sun had 
produced a lethargy which the employees of the depart- 
ments could not shake off. Even the contrabands, horses, 
and mules were visibly affected by the heat ; and the op- 
pressive calm seemed an ominous precursor of the storm 
that soon broke over this placid scene. 

I found that but a few wounded had been received from 
the advance during my absence. They were now lying on 
board the steamer South America, at the railroad wharf, 
waiting until enough had been sent down to load the ves- 
sel. My letters had been sent on board the Sanitary Com- 
mission steamer Wilson Small, as was usual while I was 
here ; but she had gone to Yorktown with Mr. Olmstead 
and Dr. Yollum, and would not return until next day. 
The short distance from the Louisiana to the post-office oc- 
cupied some time in getting over, as I met many well- 
known faces, and was frequently saluted with, " Welcome 
back. Doctor." Most of these gentlemen had labored 
with me, — many of them day and night, — and we conse- 
quently had become better acquainted than an ordinary 
intercourse of years would have made us. From them I 
learned that Dr. Chas. Tripler, Medical Director of the 
Army of the Potomac, had been down to the White 
House, having, as I suppose, heard of the commendations I 
had received from the members of the Committee on the 
Conduct of the War, and of the censure he received for 
not having made provision for the discharge of the duties I 
assumed on my first arrival. I have stated, in a former 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 91 

chapter, the condition of things on my first getting here. 
I at once telegraphed to the surgeon-general, Dr. Cuyler, 
and Dr. Tripler. From the two former I received orders 
to act as my discretion would dictate ; but Dr. Tripler took 
little or no notice of my letters and dispatches. The for- 
mer, however, were sufficient authority for me to act on. 
The amount, quality, and necessity for the services I had 
performed had received the commendation of the authori- 
ties and the country. Of this Dr. Tripler w^as aware ; and, 
in order to neutralize it, he appointed for those duties a 
Dr. Watson, who was in charge of the hospital at the 
"White House, and who, as he expressed it, had more duties 
than he could j^erform. The opportune arrival of Dr. 
Vollum, at this time, set this matter to rights ; and the 
relief (as medical director of the Army of the Potomac), of 
Dr. Tripler, by Dr. Letterman, which occurred a few days 
after, w^as the most convincing decision in my favor. 

The excitement at the White House to-day, and for the 
last twenty-four hours, has been intense. The story is 
abroad that the ubiquitous Stonewall Jackson, with a large 
flying corps cVarmee^ is approaching the White House, 
wdth the general idea of capturing the stores here for the 
Army of the Potomac, or of destroying them, or of break- 
ing up our communication with the advance, and thereby 
of starving out the army, and of clearing out things in 
general, besides killing all the troops, camp-followers, &c., 
&c., as a sort of by-play. What adds to the excitement, 
is the fact that a gravel-train, that went up the railroad 
from here this morning, has just returned, and brings back 
the story of the taking by the rebel troops of Dispatch 
Station and a down train. Be this as it may, it is certain 
that a train leaving before the one captured had three 
army paymasters on board, with about $6,000,000 between 



92 LEAVES FKOM THE 

them; — this would have been a good haul for Jeff. Davis. 
On receipt of the above intelligence, orders were given 
civilians to leave. The fact of the taking of Dispatch sta- 
tion needed only to be told them to insure prompt com- 
pliance with the order. There has been, too, a sudden 
diminution of the fraternity of sutlers, who have skedaddled 
in an agony of fright. The mail-boat, wliich left very late, 
never went away so well loaded. There is a general 
movement of all the vessels, that have been so long lying 
in the Pamunkey river, towards the mouth. Every thing 
possible to be moved has been, or will be, sent down to 
Cumberland or West Point. All the tugs and steam-ves- 
sels have been busy as bees, and things look rather lively 
on the water. The river is now comparatively free from 
vessels, and if the famous " Stonewall Jackson" does come, 
he will find little in the river to tempt his cupidity. On 
the land there has been quite a general clearing out. 
Quarter-masters, and other officers, have placed their 
effects, private or official, upon steamers, ready for an in- 
stant start, so soon as the rebel bayonets gleam near us. 
The woods lining the shores of the river have been cut 
down to give the guns of the gunboats a chance to work, 
and every precaution has been taken to insure Jackson a 
warm reception. There is certainly a great fright on every 
one's face. But I fancy there is little reason for it. Per- 
haps, as a precautionary measure, all this general evacua- 
tion may be well enough ; but it strikes me, a looker-on in 
Venice, that it would have been as well to have sent troops 
enough here to guarantee safety, when it could have been 
done. It is certainly a singular oversiglit to leave a base 
of operations, and a point so essentially important as this, 
Avith a force which may not be deemed, sufficient to pro- 
tect it against small raids of partisan corps. It may have 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SURGEON. 93 

been an oversight, but after the " scare" which the pres- 
ence of a roving band of rebels caused, some weeks since, 
it seems to be a blunder that ,precautions against a recur- 
rence of the movement should not have been taken. We 
are stronger to-day, of course, but it seems by military 
minds not to be deemed strong enough. Eight or ten 
thousand men ought to be at this point guarding it, as 
well as the railroad to the front. There is undoubtedly 
heavy fighting going on, on the right wing of the army, 
to-day. The enemy are endeavoring to turn our right 
flank ; but from all accounts they are not meeting with 
success. It is very generally believed the grand battle is 
soon to come oif, and may be now going on ; if so, the re- 
sult will soon be known. May it be a glorious one. 



94: LEAVES FJKOM THE 



CHAPTER X. 

TEIP TO WASHINGTON ON THE JUNIATA. 

Having received orders to proceed to Washington and 
make a iDcrsonal report of my duties while acting medical 
director at the White House. I turned over the charge of 
the Louisiana to Dr. Middleton, assistant-surgeon United 
States Army, and started in the Juniata, which Captain 
Sawtelle, assistant quarter-master, placed at my service. 
The trip, which occupied two days, was delightful, the clear 
bracing sea-air was a most agreeable change from the hot 
and sickly banks of the Pamunkey. I arrived at 5 p. m. 
on Monday evening, and had been at the Kirkwood 
Hotel but an hour when I was called on by Dr. 
Alvord, of the office of the Interior, already mentioned, 
and who had, with Judge Clark, his associate (as a com- 
mittee), to look after the interests of the wounded Michigan 
Volunteers, efficiently aided me. They had also written 
from the White House a very strong letter to Senator 
Chandler, making favorable mention of my services, and now 
called to introduce me to him. Between Senator Chand- 
ler's rooms and that of Mr. Odell the evening passed away, 
and, according to appointment, I reported at the Surgeon- 
general's office the following morning at nine o'clock. My 
reception by Surgeon-general Hammond, was cordial in the 
extreme ; he stated he had heard of my valuable services 
from quite a number, mentioning Mr. Odell, Paymaster 
King, Mr. Olmstead, and others, and said I had proved my- 
self a highly competent and efficient surgeon, and that he 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 95 

was deeply grateful to Die for assuming the duties at the 
White House as I had thereby saved him and the country 
everlasting disgrace; that he supposed there was a surgeon 
at the White House, detailed by Dr. Tripler for that duty. 
That it would afford him j^leasure to forward my claims 
for promotion, if I desired it, and that he advised ine to 
take some rest after my unusual labors, and tendered me 
transportation to my home in New York for the purpose, 
which I accepted, and after considerable conversation with 
him and the assistant surgeon-general, in relation to re- 
forms needed among the nurses, with whom I had had great 
trouble to keep sober, and other matters connected with 
the department, I left the office to return, by appointment, 
at three o'clock for a second interview. Leaving the Sur- 
geon-general's office I proceeded to the capitol to meet, by 
appointment, the Committee on the Conduct of the War, 
some members of which, as I have stated, were at the 
White House when the wounded from the battle of Fair 
Oaks were arriving, and witnessed my exertions. I was 
introduced to the committee by Senator Chandler, who 
spoke highly of my services. I replied to several questions 
from members of the committee, and urged on them many 
needed reforms. I then was brought into the Senate cham- 
ber and introduced to many senators. The confirmation of 
General Shields as a major-general, was under discussion, 
and I learned before leaving the capitol that it had fallen 
through. Mr. Forney, the secretary of the Senate, who had 
been written to by Mr. Longhead of Philadelphia, showed 
me much attention, and promised me any influence he pos- 
sessed to insure my promotion — this he redeemed so far as 
writing letters for me. But I found, that for some reason 
then unknown to me, the surgeon-general, who, I suppose, 
feared being censured for not having provided suitable care 



06 LEAVES FROM THE 

for the woimded, was most anxious for me to leave Wash- 
ington, micler pretext of his giving me leave of absence, 
with the hope that the session of Congress would have ad- 
journed before my return. He was proceeding to Phil- 
adelphia by the train of this evening, and desired me to 
accompany him, which I did. After a few days spent at 
home, and in official visits to Albany and Boston, I re- 
turned to the White House in time to witness its evacua- 
tion. 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SUKGEON. 97 



CHAPTER XI. 

EYACUATION OF THE WHITE HOUSE. 

Since the 15th of May, the White House has been the 
base of operations and the grand depot of supplies for the 
Army of the Potomac. It now is being abandoned. This 
has been determined on for some days, for the reasons that 
it is too remote from the main body of the army, and being 
easily approached by many avenues, aiforded superior 
inducements of attack by the enemy, and required too 
large a force to guard it. Yesterday, forty or fifty cargoes 
of Quarter-master and Commissary stores were sent down 
the river, which were in danger of capture, and worth 
three or four millions of dollars, of just such supplies as 
the rebels most need. 

The raid made by the rebels under General Stuart and 
Colonel Lee, two weeks ago, convinced General McClellan 
of their anxiety to cut him off from, and capture the large 
amount of supplies stored here both ashore and afloat. 
The enemy have commenced their flanking movement, 
which has been purposely met with but slight resistance ; 
but when they do get possession of the White House, it 
will be to find it a mass of ruins, and thoroughly empty of 
the valuable prize they hope to come in possession of. 
General Casey assumed command here two days ago, and 
at once gave orders for the felling of the trees along the 
river's bank, to give play to the gunboats, so that if 
attacked before the stores are all removed, the rebels will 



98 LEAVES FKOM THE 

get a warm reception. Colonel Butler, the Provost Mar- 
shal here, to whom the order was given, has a large force 
now engaged of the 93d New York Volunteers and 6th 
Pennsylvania Reserves in cutting down the lofty pine- 
trees under which so many men found shelter from the 
scorching sun. The axemen of these two regiments 
commenced on the lawn in front of the White House, and 
the sound of the chopping is plainly heard, as one by one 
the lofty trees of a century's growth — oaks, elms, and 
pines — topple over and fall with a fearful crash. 

Others are engaged in the erection of a high signal- 
station, from which the movements of the enemy can be 
watched, and a lofty cupola on the roof of the White 
House or Lee House, from which a splendid view of the 
river for its full length and the surrounding country can 
be had. A detachment of the signal corps from the gun- 
boats are now stationed in both of these, to give notice to 
General Casey's head-quarters and the vessels on the river, 
so that they can act in concert, and, if necessary, drop 
down beyond the reach of the enemy's guns. 

Other active preparations for departure are going on : 
the freight-laden schooners and transports are one by one 
starting for Fortress Monroe, and many exclamations of 
surprise issue from the lips of those ignorant of the order 
to evacuate, but as yet little or no panic exists. The rail- 
road over which so many hundred wounded have been 
carried, with its locomotives and hundred freight-cars, and 
which carried all the supplies, men, and horses to the 
advance, is now busily engaged in bringing back such 
supplies and wagons as can be shipped down the river, and 
are not required in the purported change of front by the 
army. These active preparations have not escaped the 
notice of the hundreds of sutlers and camp-followers, 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 99 

the bustle soon becomes general, and vessels of every kind 
are being rapidly loaded at the wharves. The papers and 
personal effects of the chief officers here are being put on 
board of the steamboats, and the heavier articles on the 
schooners, barges, &g. 

The contrabands are being put on board of canal-boats. 
The order was sent this noon to their camp, about an 
eighth of a mile from here, and with their camp equipage 
they are busily hurrying to and fro from the boats. One 
old white-headed darkey was the first to go on board. He 
was closely followed by a motley crowd of men, women, 
and children, each carrying some household article or 
piece of dilapidated furniture. This colored stream con- 
tinues, and soon all of the three or four thousand " culer'd 
pussons" will bid farewell to this part of Dixie. Judging 
from the grin each face wears, I think they don't regret 
their exodus from the Old Dominion. But the negro loves 
excitement, and nothing is now thought of but the sail 
down the river. The excitement has increased so much 
that many of the laborers, panic-stricken, refuse to work, 
fearing to be taken prisoners. Colonel Butler has a 
band playing airs around the camp, which seems to inspire 
them with confidence as to their safety. 

/Saturday 3formng. — All the night was spent in getting 
the stores on board, and by the crowd in getting ready 
for the start. The fighting we know has been going on 
for two days, but we are in suspense as to the result. A 
report has just come in that a train laden with commissary 
supplies, which started early this morning, has been cap- 
tured ; and another, laden with railroad truck, went as far as 
Tunstall's station, but was sent back by General Stoneman, 
who commands a brigade of cavalry and flying artillery, 
detailed to watch the enemy's flanking movement made 



.rC. 



100 LEAVES FROM THE 

yesterday against General Porter's corps. The rebels 
were pressing on to the White House, and had captured 
Dispatch station. General Stoneman consequently or- 
dered the return of the train, and requested that as soon 
as it reached the White House the locomotive should 
return, so that he might ride up the railroad to recon- 
noitre, which was complied with. He had proceeded but 
a few miles, when he found himself within musket-shot of 
the enemy. 

The removal of the sick in the General Hospital began 
to-day. Many of them being well able to walk to the 
river, were permitted to do so ; the remainder, several 
hundred in number, were carried in ambulances or on 
litters, as their cases required. The whole- number were 
quietly and comfortably removed, and by the arrange- 
ments I had made were well accommodated on the hos- 
pital transports. When they had been all placed safely on 
board, the large tents of which the hospital was composed 
were struck, and conveyed on board of the barges provided 
by the Quarter-master's Department for this purpose. I 
here mention with pleasure my acknowledgments to 
Captahis Sawtelle, Rankin, Farnsworth, and Wagner, for 
their prompt co-operation on this and other occasions, and 
cannot omit making mention of their efficiency and the 
perfect order preserved by the employees under them. 

General Stoneman has just arrived from Tun stall's 
station, with an escort, and is now holding a consultation 
with General Casey, at his tent on the lawn in front of the 
White House. He ordered supphes to be sent up for his 
command, and says he can hold the enemy in check until 
we have all left here. At the same time he recommends 
all possible dispatch. 

The gunboat Commodore Barney has been added to our 



DIAKY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 101 

fleet. The Currituck is about a mile above the raih-oad 
bridge. The others are in position below, with every thing 
in readiness for an attack, should the enemy force our pro- 
tecting lines. The signal gun, for all to embark, has just 
been fired, and hundreds, taking advantage of it, are 
making a fierce onslaught on the sutler's stores, stripping 
them of dry-goods, groceries, and whiskey. The soldiers 
and laborers vie with each other as to who shall make the 
largest haul of the miserable stuff, and if not prevented in 
their depredations, we will have a boisterous time. Each 
one on loading himself starts for the boats, and his place is 
quickly filled by another. The stores cannot long hold out, 
at the rate they are disappearing. Already many thou- 
sands of dollars' worth must have been carried away. The 
ofticers interfered to prevent this waste of jDroperty, but 
too late. The commissary stores, to a great extent, were 
got on board; but a large amount, stored in a wooden 
building, were destroyed, as they were said to be partially 
damaged. The building, outside, was heaped up with bales 
of hay, on which whiskey was spilled, to hasten its destruc- 
tion. 

Colonel Morris, this afternoon, under orders from General 
Casey, commenced the destruction of the government 
property, by the men of his regiment, the 93d New York. 
They began with the large water-tank, built to supply the 
locomotives. The post-office and quarter-master's tents, 
the oflicers' and sutlers' tents, the negro quarters and 
railroad shanties, then the White House itself, were given to 
the flames. The flame, smoke, and noise from the crackling 
and faUing timbers, made the scene one of the grandest 
imaginable, throwing a lurid glare for miles around 
and over the river, in strange contrast with the sunlight. 
Added to this, was the frequent explosion of shells and 



102 LEAVES FROM THE 

other ammunition. The light from the fire continued until 
after dark, and lit up the heavens, making visible for miles 
the scene of the destruction. The White House itself, 
situated as it was on a high bluff must have been seen 
blazing at a great distance. Many mourned its destruc- 
tion, which, I learn, was contrary to the orders of General 
Casey, but the torch was set to it by some one of the many 
who had for a long time complained of its being so 
jealously guarded by Union sentries, and it the property 
of a rebel leader — claiming that it could, with advantage, be 
used as a hospital. There was some justice in these 
complaints, for although the building was small, and would 
accommodate, comparatively, but few, yet it could be used 
for the worst cases, or as medical head-quarters, apothecary 
shop, <fcc. ; and a large number of hospital tents could 
have been erected on the lawn, beneath the shady trees 
with which it was covered. This would have afforded an 
agreeable and cool shading to the sick ; and the well of 
spring water on the premises, the use of which was 
denied, would have prevented many cases of dysenteiy 
that occurred on the gunboat fleet and among the em- 
ployees on the boats. These complaints were urged with 
considerable pertinacity at Washington, and the surgeon- 
general issued an order for its occupation by the Sisters of 
Charity, who have been, for a couple of weeks, devotedly 
nursing the sick and wounded. 

The work of destruction being nearly complete, including 
the explosion of three splendid locomotives and the burn- 
ing of over one hundred railroad cars, General Casey, with 
his staff, are getting on board the Knickerbocker. Colonel 
Ingalls and his department have gone on board the Cir- 
cassian, and we start down the river, which is filled with 
the transports. As we turn the winding of the crooked 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 103 

stream, forests of masts can be seen, bound for Fortress 
Monroe. Looking back at the White House, we can still 
see the bright flames flying upward, lighting uip the banks 
of the muddy stream, now loaded with a fleet, resembling 
more closely the approach to a large commercial city than 
a quiet inland river of Virginia. We soon dropped anchor 
for the night, it being unsafe to proceed further. 

As soon as' dayhght returned we started for Fortress 
Monroe, which we reached at 10 a. m., Sunday. Colonel 
Ingalls started at once up the James river to learn how 
matters were going, and, if possible, the result of the battle 
before Richmond, which has been raging for the last two 
days. Orders were received to send but a portion of the 
fleet, with supplies, up the James river — the remainder to 
remain at Fortress Monroe awaiting orders. 



104 LEAVES FBOM THE 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE SEVEN DAYS' FIGHT 

Three or four days have again passed witnout any thing 
of any great importance occurring here, except a very Uvely 
skirmish between the pickets, which came near bringing on 
a general engagement. I was at some distance from the 
scene of the skirmish when it first commenced, but the 
rapid booming of cannon, which lasted nearly an hour, told 
me that something was occurring in that direction which I 
should know. As I approached the late battle-field I be- 
came convinced that the heavy firing was from our side 
altogether : it proved so upon my arrival. It seems there 
is a redoubt of great force, and mounted with heavy guns, 
which the rebels have got an eye upon : in fact, I learn they 
have had an eye upon it ever since it was commenced, as it 
is in plain sight of their pickets, who have attempted to 
capture it no less than four or five times, each time being 
repulsed with great loss. The last attempt will probably 
remain the last until the great battle takes place, as they 
should, by this time, know its little use ; but if they should 
try it again they will find as warm a reception both here 
and elsewhere as heretofore. 

At five o'clock yesterday afternoon the pickets of the 
2d (Troy) regiment. Colonel Carr, New York State Vol- 
unteers, relieved those of another brigade. They were 
about four hundred strong, those on the right of the re- 
doubt commanded by Lieutenant-colonel Olmstead, and 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SUEGEON. 105 

those on the left by Major Otis. About six o'clock the 
enemy made a feint on the left pickets, to draw the atten- 
tion of the reserves in tliat direction. Almost at the same 
instant they attacked the right, and in a few minutes the 
whole line was engaged. The enemy were full six hun- 
dred strong, as no less than eight companies were seen by 
our pickets. The pickets commanded by Major Otis were 
outnumbered and driven in, retreating in good order, and 
placing themselves on the right of the redoubt, the enemy 
out of range from our battery and rifle-pits. The troops 
under Lieutenant-colonel Olmstead maintained their posi- 
tion from first to last. Three or four companies of the 
rebels followed the retreating pickets beyond the skirt of 
the woods, exposing themselves to view, and commenced a 
galling fire of musketry on our rifle-pits. When within 
range our men returned their fire, and the enemy still ad- 
vancing, they approached so near the redoubt that the 
orders of the officers could be distinctly heard. Now Avas 
the time : the musket firing had lasted about three minutes, 
drawing the enemy on, when the artillery, from a redoubt 
in the centre, opened upon them. This was instantly fol- 
lowed by a charge of canister from the redoubt on the 
right and shell on the left, making a cross-fire, the mus- 
ketry, from the rifle-pits, still continuing. Nothing could 
withstand this ; as shot, shell, and canister, with deadly aim, 
flew among them, mowing them down and scattering 
them like chaif before the wind, they retreated in great 
disorder. The firing was continued some time longer, when 
the pickets who retreated to the rifle-pits were sent to 
their original j)ositions, holding the ground until relieved 
this morning. The enemy's loss, in killed and wounded, 
must be very great. They were seen from the first remov- 
ing them to the rear, and even to the end, as they sup- 

5* 



106 LEAVES FK«>M THE 

posed, carried off all their dead and wounded with them ; 
but early this morning our pickets observed a man lying 
upon the ground, waiving a white handkerchief. He was 
brought in, and found to be a rebel sergeant. He was 
badly wounded in the groin, by a rifle-ball, and his re- 
covery is very doubtful. He reports a great number of 
the enemy killed and wounded, and states that he heard 
the cries and groans of the wounded and dying all night, 
and that they were all carried off but him. According to 
his account, there was one Georgia regiment and four com- 
panies of the 2d North Carolina engaged in the fight, and 
they had volunteered their services to take the redoubt. 
When they saw our pickets on the left retreat, they yelled 
like madmen, and, no doubt, thought that the redoubt was 
already won. Our noble fellows fought bravely. Two 
were killed and seven wounded, their names are as follows : 
George Murray, Company B, killed, shot in the breast ; 
Henry L. Dunham, Company B, flesh wound in arm ; Jesse 
G. Huse, Company F, slightly, in face and hand ; James 
McGann, Company D, wounded in hip, seriously ; George 
Paine, Company D, wounded badly in the arm, the ball 
entering at the elbow and coming out at the wrist, shatter- 
ing the bone ; Francis Megott, Company D, wounded in 
the hip ; Michael Barrett, Company D, shot through the 
hand ; John McGovern, Company D, slightly in the face. 
The other that was killed belonged to the Third Excelsior, 
and was shot in the breast, while on picket, just before the 
skirmish commenced", — I could not learn his name. Murray 
was from Schaghticoke, Rensselaer county, unmarried and 
about thirty-five years of age. He lived about an hour after 
being shot. The wounded are all from Troy, K. Y., and 
were the advanced pickets. There is no doubt but that it 
the enemy had succeeded in capturing the redoubt, a gen- 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. lOT 

eral engagement would have been the result. I forgot to 
mention, that the first notice of any thing unusual, was 
the appearance of several officers, apparently making a 
reconnoissance, and the chief officer sending aids to 
the right and left. Two horses, belonging to the rebel 
officers, were brought in by the pickets this morning, 
they having found them straying riderless in the woods. 
One was a splendid animal, and the other desirable. 
A few days since two companies of this regiment. Com- 
pany D, under command of Captain McGuire, and Com- 
pany E, by Lieutenant Wilson, drove the enemy, after 
they had driven in our pickets, skirmishing through the 
woods, back to their own rifle-pits, without losing a man. 
Colonel Carr, of this regiment, is acting Brigadier-general, 
as General Patterson was taken sick and has returned 
home. 

I have just seen a number of rebel prisoners and con- 
trabands, who are on their way to Fortress Monroe. The 
contrabands were so stupid and thick-skulled that nothing 
could be gleaned from them, and the rebels so bitterly 
secesh that equally as little could be learned from them. 
Of their appearance there as prisoners, however, I learn that 
some have been captured by our pickets; some were of 
the 1st Virginia cavalry, and had been hunted down, as 
they termed it ; while others — honest, quiet farmers — had 
been torn from their homes, because they said they would 
not take the oath of allegiance, but were, probably, sup- 
posed to be connected with, or know something of that 
little affair down the road the other evening. They are 
terribly secesh, as I said before. They appear to delight in 
boasting of their connection with the rebel army, their 
intention never to take the oath of allegiance, and their 
hatred and contempt of the Northern army and people. 



108 LEAVES mOM THE 

One man said, " Richmond is not yours yet, nor can it ever 
be." . Upon asking one, who appeared more intelligent than 
the rest, if he did not think we would be in Richmond 
before long, he said : " Yes, I think you will, but the same 
way as I am here," meaning as prisoners. They did say 
they did not expect the kind of treatment from us that 
they received. Yet they act as though they despised it. 
It will be well to remark, that after General McClellan 
had paid his accustomed visit to our troops in this di- 
rection, on Wednesday afternoon last, when he was greeted 
with such bursts of applause, the rebels attempted, and 
succeeded, in driving back, with an immensely superior 
force, our pickets to their reserve. The rebels engaged in 
this affair consisted of a whole brigade, while our picket 
and reserve did not outnumber a whole regiment. What 
the motive for this attack was cannot be divined, unless it 
was to learn the cause of the immense glee in our camp. 
" Secesh," ^^I'ohably, imagined that reinforcements were 
arriving for General McClellan, and the reconnoissance in 
force was for the purpose of ascertaining the extent and na- 
ture of the reinforcements. At all events, the effort, what- 
ever may have been intended, was a perfect and entire 
failure, the shells from our batteries driving them like chaff 
through the woods and swamps, and enabling our pickets 
to obtain an advanced position. On Friday, Orderly Ser- 
geant H. D. Hanahan, Company I, 2d South Carolina 
Volunteers, Colonel Kennedy, of Kershaw's Brigade, was 
found in the woods, wounded in the legs, where he had 
been since Wednesday night. His legs were amputated 
by the surgeon of the 1st California. He was found, 
by Captain W. P. Tomlinson, Company F, 1st California, 
in an emaciated condition. The prisoner expressed a 
great desire to have one fact noticed, which was, to disa. 



DIARY OF AN AKMT SURGEON. 109 

buse the minds of the Southern soldiery, who believe, from 
representations of their leaders, that their wounded do not 
receive merciful and charitable attention at our hands. He 
desires to express his thanks for the noble and generous 
treatment extended towards him since he has been a 
wounded prisoner in our hands. He believes the loss of 
the rebels severe, in the skirmish of Wednesday, as the 
shells from our battery exploded righ't among them in 
their retreat through the Avoods. 

As an incident illustrative as well of the fearlessness as 
of the vigilance and activity of General McClellan, during 
Wednesday he rode to the outer line of our pickets and 
pulling off his coat mounted a tall tree, generally used 
for reconnoitering purposes by our officers and men, with 
all the agility of a well-trained " salt of the ocean," and 
ascended into its topmost branches, where he had a 
splendid view of the enemy's position and defences, and also 
of his army's Paridisian city of Richmond, the heart of the 
the rebellion. The rebels were no respecters of his valuable 
presence in the tree, for their volleys flew thick and fast 
around and among its clustering boughs, happily without 
injury to the chief above, who was taking notes. The 
object of their most recent movements is judged, by our 
generals, to have been to capture a quantity of com- 
missary stores, which they presumed laid near Fair Oaks 
station. Our picket lines, during the whole of last night, 
resounded with the crack of musketry, mostly from the 
rebels, who, from motives of spite, seem determined to 
prevent our forces in camp from enjoying their nightly 
sleep. These constantly recurring alarms in camp are now, 
however, taken cheerfully by the men, and the line of 
battle is uniformly formed after a few shots have been 
exchanged between the pickets. While the position and 



110 LEAVES FROM THE 

strength of our forces are at present such as to dissipate 
all fear for our own safety from any attack which the rebels 
may make upon us, a reinforcelftent of fifty thousand fresh 
troops would insure the immediate reduction of Richmond, 
which is generally conceded here, and with much less loss 
to our side than it could be accomplished otherwise. It is 
idle to deny the fact that the rebels outnumber us, though 
in effectiveness our army is superior to theirs in the field. 
I am glad to see that some of our regiments have been 
provided, as a measure of protection from the fervent heat, 
with a neat and light straw hat, with*the name of the 
regiment neatly printed on its black band. I noticed the 
16th New York, in regimental line, this morning, and 
they presented a really neat and tidy appearance with 
their new chapeaus. If any thing can be said to be hope- 
ful about the rebels, the fact that yesterday they allowed 
the blessed Sabbath to pass, or at least the devotional 
morning hours of the same, without the resort to the mes- 
senger of death, would indicate a change for the better on 
their part. The health of the troops has slightly improved. 
Wednesday, June 25th, was signalized by another glori- 
ous struggle between the rebels and the Union troops, in 
which the latter were twice victorious. About six thou- 
sand of our men encountered (on that day) two divisions 
of the rebel army, a short distance beyond Fair Oaks, and 
drove them back a mile. By a very remarkable blunder, 
we relinquished all the ground we gained as soon as we had 
obtained possession of it, and then when the error was 
sifted and understood, our gallant lads went at it again and 
corrected the mistake. Upon our retirement, the enemy 
had once more swept in over the field like a recurrent tide- 
wave, and for a second time w^e drove him back, step by 
step, over all the ground originally won, and maintained 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SUKGEON. Ill 

our position there at night. But little artillery was em- 
ployed, and the casualties are therefore not so numerous as 
might be supposed from the duration of the fight. As the 
artillery that was used was mostly ours, the enemy's loss is, 
doubtless, considerably heavier than our own. Ours will, 
perhaps, reach the neighborhood of eighty killed, and less 
than two hundred wounded. It should be clearly under- 
stood what this particular fight was for. It was not an in- 
terruption of our march to Richmond, in which, as might 
be supposed, the rebels threw themselves in our way and 
stopped us at a mile from our original line. It was a 
fight for a position ; a determined struggle for a piece of 
ground which it was deemed necessary that we should 
"have and hold." This piece of ground is barely a 
mile beyond our former line, and we have it and hold 
it, for what purpose I cannot state. It will be re- 
membered, that the field on which the battles of Fair 
Oaks and Seven Pines was fought, was bounded on the 
side towards Richmond by a line of woods. This wood 
extends on either side of the Williamsburg road for a mile, 
and beyond it is a piece of open country. Our outer pick- 
ets have hitherto been posted in that edge of the wood 
which is farthest from the " sacred city," and the line of 
rebel pickets was drawn only a little farther in the woods, 
and so near to our lines that the men could talk to one 
another. It appeared to be well understood that any fur- 
ther advance on our part would bring on a general engage- 
ment, and in that view our line was kept stationary. But, 
finally, it was deemed necessary that our pickets should be 
posted at the outer edge of the wood. Accordingly, Gen- 
eral Heintzelman was ordered to advance the pickets on 
his front to the point named, and to advance the pickets on 
his left in a line with those in front. At seven a. m., there- 



112 LEAVES FROM THE 

fore, the greater part of bis two divisions was in line and 
ready for action ; but tbe advance was not made by so 
large a force. Two brigades of Hooker's division, Grover's 
and Sickles', did nearly all the work, though some other 
brigades were slightly engaged before the day was over. 
Sickles' brigade is composed of the five " Excelsior " regi- 
ments, the Seventieth, Seventy-first, Seventy-second, Sev- 
enty-third, an^ Seventy-fourth New York. This gallant 
body of men has lost so heavily in previous battles, and by 
illness, that it mustered for Wednesday's fight only four- 
teen hundred men. Grover's brigade is composed of the 
First Massachusetts, Colonel Cowdin ; the Second 'New 
Hampshire, Colonel Gilman Marston ; the Twenty-sixth 
Pennsylvania, temporarily commanded by Lieutenant-col- 
onel Wells, of the First Massachusetts ; the Massachusetts 
Eleventh, Colonel William Blaisdell, and the Massachusetts 
Sixteenth, Colonel Wyman. This brigade mustered about 
four thousand men for duty. At a little before eight a. m., 
the word was given, and these two brigades moved for- 
ward. Sickles' line was formed across the Williamsburg 
road, and he advanced in the direction of that thoroughfare, 
his second regiment on his right, the Fourth next to it, 
and both these regiments on the right of the Williamsburg 
road. To the left of tlie road in the order in which they 
are named, the Fifth, First, and Third -were formed. 
Sickles' left stretched about three hundred yards to the 
left of the road. Grover's line joined on to Sickles' left, 
and was formed of the First Massachusetts on the right, 
and the Eleventh Massachusetts on the left. His other 
regiments were at hand ready for use anywhere. Both 
brigades advanced in line of battle with skirmishers out in 
front. Nev^er was tliere a day better fitted for a fight. 
Two or three tempest-like showers in the few days previ 



DIAEY OF AN AKMY SURGEON. 113 

ous, seemed to have washed all that was disagreeable out 
of Virginia. Nature and the cool, fresh air, filled our 
Northern lungs with life. It was just cloudy enough, too, 
so to temper the sun's heat without making it a dull day, 
and there was just breeze enough to lift the smoke. As 
the line moved out across the field that lay between the 
point and where they had been drawn up ^nd the wood, it 
presented a beautiful spectacle ; the light-blue of the uni- 
forms contrasted with the brilliant green of the field ; the 
light reflected from their gun-barrels in a silvery sheen ; 
and their glorious standards blown out in the breeze, gave 
the whole scene the gayety and show of a Fourth of July 
parade. In a few minutes the whole line disappeared in 
the woods. Sickles' part more slowly than the others, for 
the left of his line had to move through an abatis that 
was very difficult, and was thus detained. Through this 
means, also, the regularity of his line was broken, and did 
not get into action so soon. Only a few moments, however, 
had elapsed after the disappearance of Grover, when the 
scattered "pop," "pop," told that he had reached the 
enemy's rifle pickets. This little fire only continued a few 
minutes, rattled rapidly once, twice, thrice, and down the 
lines and was over, and Grover went on. The enemy's 
outer line was driven in. 

Slowly and cautiously the advance was continued. 
When the pickets were driven in, they formed on the 
picket reserve some distance in their rear, and after some 
little delay, with diflnicult ground and necessary caution, 
Grover's skirmishers came upon their second line. They 
disputed the ground tenaciously. Nearly all their front 
appeared to be held by North Carolina troops, whom we 
have found to be by far the best and bravest troops of the 
Southern Confederacy. These gallant fellows stood to their 



114 . LEAVES FKOM THE 

posts and kept up a rapid and accurate fire that galled our 
lines severely, until they were fairly driven back in rout by 
Grover's steady advance. The stout resistance of these 
pickets gave ample time for the formation of Hill's division, 
to which they belonged, and which is made up in great 
part of North Carolina troops. This division, supported 
by that of General Huger, now advanced to meet our 
line, and in a little while the ball was fairly opened. So 
rapid was the rattle of the fire this time, that the sound 
seemed to be without cessation, without pause, or interval, 
one continuous rattle of rifles. This fire was very severe, 
and wounded men now began to find their way to the rear ; 
some on stretchers, others leaning on the shoulder of a 
comrade, and others again, with a brave pride, determined 
to help themselves, and " go it alone." 

The head-quarters were established in the open field 
near to Fair Oaks, and there General Heintzelraan, very 
quietly, and with a very business-like air, "taught the 
doubtful battle where to rage." The two houses at that 
point were used as hospitals, and numbers of the wounded 
were laid on the ground in the oak grove that gives name 
to the locality. There, many wounds were dressed and the 
soldiers made comfortable ; and there, also, many a gal- 
lant fellow breathed his last. More commodious hospitals 
were established further back, and the ambulances passed 
hastily between field and camp with such good eff"ect that 
the wounded men were all cared for with admirable dis- 
patch. General Sickles, for the reasons heretofore given, 
did not become engaged as soon as General Grover, and 
when the very heavy fire was heard on the latter's front, the 
Excelsior Brigade was still under the irregular picket fire 
of the enemy's outer line. By degrees, as they advanced, 
this fire became hotter, until it broke into the rattle ot 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 115 

several thousand rifles ; a fire fully as severe and intense as 
that on the left. On Sickles' front it was straightforward 
work. He had only to keep his men up to it and push on, 
and this was well and gallantly done. When Grover ad- 
vanced his line, it was understood that Kearney's line, 
which joined Hooker's at that point, was to have been 
advanced also ; but, as it did not keep up, Grover's posi- 
tion became dangerous just in proportion to his apparent 
success, for his flank was left exposed to the attack of the 
rebels, who filled the woods in front of Kearney. To 
guard against mishaps in that quarter, and to establish the 
connection with Kearney, he threw out, on his left", five 
comj^anies of the Massachusetts 16th, which regiment was 
held in reserve. At about the same time, as the fire con- 
tinued terribly severe in front, he placed a battalion of the 
ISTew Hampshire 2d on his extreme right, to strengthen 
his connection with Sickles' left, and placed the remainder 
of the same regiment between the Massachusetts 1st and 
11th, where there was some appearance of weakness. Thus 
strengthened in front, and provided against attack on his 
flank, he went on. Berry's brigade soon began, however, 
to push forward on Grover's left, drove the enemy rapidly 
and easily before it, and advanced till they completed the 
line from Grover's left. Robinson's brigade (late Jame- 
son's) was subsequently pushed in between Grover's and 
Berry's, and continued the movement. But the enemy 
was not at any time in great force beyond Grover's left, so 
that the fight in that direction was not severe. At half- 
past nine our line was brought to a stand still. It was 
evident that the enemy was in great force along the whole 
line. Near that hour the 5th New Jersey was sent out as 
a reserve to Sickles ; the 2d New York, to reinforce his 
advance, and a regiment of Sedgwick's division, the 19th 



116 LEAVES FROM THE 

Massachusetts, was pushed in on liis right, so as to extend 
his Une to the raih'oad. Still, with occasional intermissions 
of comparative quiet, the fire raged along the whole front 
of the two devoted brigades, and seemed ever to rage with 
intense fury as it approached the road on which the Ex- 
celsior Brigade had advanced. During this hard-fought 
hour our men had not flinched at all. Every one toed the 
mark resolutely to do what he came for. There was not a 
straggler to be seen; and those even who helped the 
wounded off the field, helped them only to where they 
could get better help, and then went back. Gloriously 
does<he conduct of these two brigades speak the praise of 
the gallant ofiicers who have made them soldiers, and 
filled them with the soldier's spirit; and especially does 
their good conduct on this day redound to the honor of 
that noble old veteran. General Hooker. 

When the rebels found that our boys were not going to 
give way, under any circumstances, they concluded to give 
way themselves. Their disposition to do so first appeared 
lA front of Grover. It was hailed with a hearty cheer by 
our boys, who pushed ahead, and, now that the machine 
was fairly started, went on with a rush. In a few minutes 
they broke out into the open field, and the object was so 
far gained at that point. A battery was sent down to 
Kearney to play on the enemy's flank, and shell the masses 
in retreat. Grover was not, however, permitted to hold 
the ground he gained in quiet. An attempt was made to 
dislodge him, by a body sent to reinforce those previously 
driven out. A hard fight ensued, and the attempt was re- 
pulsed. But while the enemy were thus driven in on the 
left, the right did not get along so well. There the enemy's 
whole available force seemed concentrated in one endeavor 
to bear down the gallant Excelsiar Brigade. Reinforce- 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 117 

ments were ordered there immediately, and Birney's Bri- 
gade went up the Williamsburg road at the double quick. 
As these regiments filed on, cheered by those they passed, 
a chorus of responsive cheers arose from Grover's brave 
fellows, away oiF on the left, as they drove the enemy be- 
fore them. Sickles' boys took it up in turn, and made a 
stouter push at the foe. Everybody seemed exhilarated at 
the sound. Orderly after orderly rushed in to tell how 
Grover was driving them, and others to say that Sickles 
could hold his ground till Birney could reach them. We 
had the enemy fairly started, and could have driven him 
any distance. Just at this exciting juncture, the order was 
received from head-quarters, to " withdraw gradually to 
the original line." They alone who know how brilliantly 
the first dawn of victory beams upon the battle-field, can 
appreciate the gloom this order cast on every spirit, but it 
bad to be obeyed, and was disseminated. It was hard to 
credit the news from the tongues of aids or orderlies, but 
it was soon verified, and the men were withdrawn. They 
all believed that we were beaten on some other part of the 
line, and that we had gone too far ahead for safety, and all 
retired in good order, and took up the line in the edge of 
the wood nearest the camp. This was about half-past 11 
A. M. General McClellan and staff rode upon the field at 
one p. M., escorted by Captain Mclntyre's squadron of 
regular cavalry, and the 1st Regiment New York Volun- 
teer cavalry, Colonel McReynolds. He made his head- 
quarters at Fair Oaks, where Heintzelman had previously 
been ; and there drew around him all the sources of infor- 
mation that such occasions furnish. 

All were then in amazement at the recent unaccountable 
order. But he soon saw how affairs stood, and ordered, 
very shortly after, that the same advance should be made 



118 LEAVES FROM THE 

again. The order was received with joy on every hand. 
All was again activity and spirit, and every one prepared 
to do the thing over again, as bravely as if they had never 
been compelled to relinquish the almost gotten prize. 
Once more they went forward, in the same order in which 
they had already done so well. Grover, on the right, got 
in first again, and rattled away ; but the resistance there 
was not so tenacious as it had been, and he pushed through, 
still finding, however, enough resistance to keep up the in- 
terest. Kearney, on the extreme left, found also no great 
resistance. But on the Williamsburg road, in front of 
General Sickles, the fighting was harder than ever. There 
the enemy had evidently gathered a strong force, and he 
seemed determined to hold that point at every hazard. 
Steadily and accurately as the battle-trained boys of the 
Excelsior Brigade delivered their fire, still they made no 
permanent impression. The place of those who fell on the 
rebel side were again filled, and the enemy was still there. 
For nearly three-quarters of an hour the hard fire was 
continued at this point. Thus the battle stood at a little 
after two o'clock, when General J. 'N. Palmer's (late Dev- 
in's) Brigade, of Couch's Division, was ordered up to sup- 
port Sickles. The vigilant, and ever-ready commander of 
the Fourth Corps, had put Couch's Division under arms 
when the firing first began on the left, and they had await- 
ed their chance till now. They went up the road hand- 
somely — the Massachusetts 10th, commanded by Lieuten- 
ant-colonel Decker, in advance, followed by the Rhode 
Island 2d, Colonel Frank Wheaton ; the New York 36th, 
Colonel Innes ; and the Massachusetts 7th, Colonel Russell. 
At the same time. Battery D, 1st New York Artillery (four 
rifled pieces), Captain J. W. Osborn, was ordered up the 
Williamsburg road to shell the woods beyond our advance. 



DIAET OF AN AKMY SURGEON. 119 

It was expected that they would throw shell directly over 
our advancing line into the enemy's line, and into his camp 
beyond. This is always a perilous attempt. Shells either 
fall false, or the distance is miscalculated, and misfortune 
ensues. So it did in this case. Several of Captain Os- 
born's fell false, and exploded in the rear, and even right 
in the ranks of our men. By this means the Massachusetts 
'7th, which was deployed in the woods as skirmishers, lost 
several men ; and, by one of these shells, Lieutenant Bul- 
lock, of that regiment, received a wound which soon 
proved fatal. This fire was immediately stopped. Two 
guns of Battery K, 4th United States Artillery, Captain 
De Russey, were then sent up the road and into the wood, 
and took position right in the midst of Palmer's Brigade, 
and thence opened fire, which they kept up briskly for 
some minutes. Meanwhile there was an almost complete 
cessation of the musketry fire. At the same time General 
Sumner began to shell the woods on his front, and the 
artillerymen had it all to themselves. Soon the enemy 
also got artillery at it, and began to throw shell and shot, 
with considerable accuracy, all around De Russey's guns. 
So perfectly did he get the range of their pieces that they 
were withdrawn. But this did not stop the enemy's fire. 
Many projectiles — shell and round-shot — fell in the woods 
in that neighborhood, and a number of men were mutilated 
by them. Lieutenant Whiting, of General Palmer's stafij 
lost his arm by a round-shot at this time. Colonel A. J. 
Morrison, volunteer aid to General Palmer, had been 
wounded in the thigh and hand earlier in the day. The 
continual push of the Excelsior Brigade, and the fire of the 
artillery, finally forced the enemy entirely through the 
woods, and our line now lay just in the farther edge of it. 
Thus we had gained our object, and there the battle rested 



120 LEAVES FEOM THE 

for a time. The fire now fell off into an occasional shot 
from skirmishers, and in that position matters continued 
until six p. M. At about that hour General Kearney led 
Birney's Brigade against the enemy. Pushing in on Gro- 
ver's left, and between Grover and Robinson, he went at it 
in gallant style, and entirely cleared the woods. The fire 
there was very fierce for several minutes, when it subsided, 
and shortly all was quiet again. Thus had passed altogether 
a glorious day, in which we had twice beaten the enemy, 
twice driven him before us over the same ground. Dispo- 
sitions to hold the ground, in case of a night attack, were 
made all along the line ; and on the right, the weakened 
and wearied Excelsior Brigade was withdrawn, and re- 
lieved by that of General Palmer, which thus held the ad- 
vance on that part of the line. 

Soon after dark large bodies of the enemy were brought 
up in front of the position held by General Palmer, and 
the rebels also pushed forward, at the same poiijt, a bat- 
tery of field-pieces. Arrangements were in progress to 
strengthen our position there, when at ten p. m. a large 
force was pushed in suddenly, and delivered a volley in 
the line of the 2d Rhode Island and 10th Massachusetts. 
Some confusion was caused, but the men were soon rallied, 
and repulsed this threatened advance, driving the enemy 
back with considerable loss. 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 121 



CHAPTER XIII. 

CONTINUATION OF THE SEVEN DAYS' FIGHT. 

The foregoing particulars of the battles of Friday and 
Saturday, necessitated the vacation of the north bank of 
the Chickahominy, and made certain the evacuation of the 
White House and the York River raih'oad. This obliged 
the falling back on the James river as a new source of 
supplies and another base of operations. The tents of Gen- 
eral McClellan's head-quarters, which had been pitched in 
Dr. Trent's field, on the Chickahominy, were moved to 
Savage's station at dusk on Friday. At night, as the sev- 
eral brigades came over the bridge and clustered on the 
borders of the swamp, one single tent stood on the hillside, 
and that was General McClellan's. At eleven o'clock a 
council of war was held in front of this tent, in which the 
general commanding, corps commanders, with their aids, 
among them the French Princes and the General of Engi- 
neers and Artillery, took part. A large fire had been 
lighted just beyond the arbor in front, and its blaze 
lighted up the faces of the generals as they sat in the arbor 
which formed a pavilion for the tent. The conference was. 
long and seemingly earnest. This was the first council 
called by General McClellan since he took the field, and 
here he disclosed his plans of reaching the James river. 
The rumor soon got wind tliat the army was to move, and 
all Friday night the baggage wagons went in long trains 
towards Savage's station, whence they took their way over 

6 



122 LEAVES FROM THE 

the bills to tlie Williamsburg road, and thence to White 
Oak Swamp. This procession continued all the following 
morning, and the large siege pieces which had come up 
from the White House the previous week, went passing 
along with ambulances, batteries, and pontoon trains — " re- 
tiring in good order" — in pursuance of the prearranged 
plans. The celerity of their movements, however, caused 
an anxious look on the faces of the initiated ; and the quar- 
ter-masters, though they said nothing, appeared disconcert- 
ed. All know it requires much patience to await the tardy 
march of an army, even when the troops are free to go in 
advance and leave the teams to follow leisurely ; but when 
the baggage-wagons lead the way, blocking up the roads, 
sticking in the ruts, and upsetting down the hills, the 
march is trying in the extreme. Such was the case on the 
several marches of Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, wjien 
the tedium became almost unbearable, from the anxiety to 
press forward. At daylight on Saturday it was known that 
the army was to evacuate its line of intrenchments. To 
do this with sufficient celerity, it was necessary to move 
only the most essential baggage, and leave behind every thing 
ponderous or bulky. An order was issued to officers to 
discriminate between necessaries and luxuries. Even the 
sick had to be told that but to few of them could ambu- 
lances be allowed. The wounded were told nothing, but the 
ominous silence must have convinced them that they were 
to be left on contested ground at the mercy of the enemy, 
while the army would, column after column, recede to the 
distant James river by a doubtful and dangerous route. ISTone 
who witnessed it will ever forget the scene on Saturday 
morning. All knew the White House had been abandoned, 
thus cutting off the depot of supplies — a part of the line of 
earth-works were deserted, and the tentless army lay on 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SUKGEON. 123 

the open field, many sleeping after the labors of the battle, 
but by far a greater number were grouped in anxious con- 
versation. Hundreds, also, were limping along, or with 
an arm in a sling, inquiring eagerly for their own regi- 
ments. Many, very many, started on the painful and hope- 
less pilgrimage to the now coveted James river, where 
they hoped to find the Union gunboats, feeling that under 
their portholes alone could they find rest or safety. The 
long and straggling lines of these left many a drop of blood 
on the sandy track as they filed through brook and wood and 
over hill and dale, braced by the certainty of deliverance 
which each step secured to them. Some of them hobbled 
ten miles the first day upon crutches ; and one poor fellow 
who had received a ball in the hip, and had the ankle of 
the other leg broken, kept up with an ambulance for eleven 
hours. The ambulances were crowded so full that the 
springs, often breaking, were all bent flat on the axle. 
Many poor wounded fellows sat on the tail of the ambu- 
lances, their blood-dripping feet dangling behind. 

Files upon files of wagons were passing all day, and the 
troops sauntered along, each one bent on reaching the 
wished-for destination. With them the siege-guns and. 
pontoons were commingled ; the horsemen, teamsters, and 
negroes vied with each other in profane efforts to urge on 
the horses or mules. Few, if any, slept this Saturday night, 
for the heavy forebodings of the coming day, and each felt 
a terrible anxiety for the army and his own personal safety. 
It was reported that the enemy, advised of our- plans, had 
pushed a large column between us and the James river, 
and that if we succeeded in reaching the river, Beauregard 
was there with a hundred thousand men to prevent our 
reaching the gunboats. A little rain that fell during the 
night moistened the dusty ground and improved the walk- 



124 LEAVES FROM THE 

ing. At 3 A. M., the rebel prisoners in cli.arge of Major 
Willard were marched off, tlie teams were on their way, 
and before two lioiirs after, tlie commanding general and 
his staff were dashing across the country. Coming to an 
elevated position, General McClelhin reined his horse and 
took a survey of Richmond and his late position. Over a 
thousand wounded were left in the hospital at Savage's 
station. This was miavoidable, nnder the circumstances, 
and every arrangement that could be made was attended 
to, to insure their comfort and secure them good treatment 
from the enemy whose bloody greeting they were a second 
time destined to hear. Surgeons and nurses in abundance 
volunteered for the duty, and but little complaint was heard 
even among the wounded thus unwillingly abandoned. 

The Battle of Peach Orchard. 

Daylight Sunday morning saw the trenches deserted 
and the artillery moved a mile in the rear, where it was 
judiciously distributed. The batteries masked and the in- 
fantry concealed by the woods which formed a part of tlie 
battle-ground of Fair Oaks, but to distinguish it is now 
called Peach Orchard. 

At daylight the enemy were discovered coming eastward 
along the Williamsburg road — one column advancing down 
the railroad. They opened from two batteries on the left, 
but their artillery and musket fire was irregular and inef- 
fective, though the latter was within ordinary range. 
When they reached a line of marsh about three hundred 
yards from our front, a terrible fire from our large guns 
burst upon them. They staggered, but before the full ef- 
fect of one of the discharges was discernible the guns rang 
again, and their columns were fearfully thinned. For an 
liour and a half the fire was so continuous that it seemed 



DIARY OF AN AEMT SUEGEON. 125 

the unbroken echo of one prolonged deafening report. A 
perpetual blaze of flame and flying of balls, to which the 
Confederates replied feebly but with determination. Gen- 
eral Sumner passed through the thickest of the fight, and 
Meagher's gallant Irish Brigade stood like an unyield- 
ing row of Round Towers. The troops of Richardson's, 
Keyes', and Heintzelman's divisions vied with each other 
in the rapidity of their firing and the steadiness of their 
behavior. The whole fight, although it lasted from eight 
in the morning until noon, was like one unbroken incident 
when it terminated. Many a participator breathed a long 
breath of relief, and the nervous tension of many brave 
men was followed by a corresponding reaction that pros- 
trated them. Our loss was under 200, that of the rebels 
must have been five to our one. His efibrts to overreach 
us were rendered futile, as we took pains to protect our left. 
Our line of general retreat lay along the Williamsburg road 
to a creek that crosses it more than a mile from Savag:e's 
station. The en'emy tried to charge through the brigades 
of Burns, Dana, and Gorman, but the steady fire of the 
regiments, conspicuous among whom was tlie Massachu- 
setts Twentieth, baffled them completely. Having held the 
position until the teams, ambulances, heavy artillery, sick, 
and wounded, had crossed White Oak Swamp, the order was 
given to fall back leisurely to Savage's station, and again., 
form in line of battle. So the fight of Peach Orchard 
ended with a clear victory to the Union troops, it was 
fought with but a small force of our army, and against 
largely superior numbers, with a comparatively trifling 
loss, when the fact is considered that we were the rear of a 
retreating army, and opposed to a foe, who, flushed with 
victory, supposed us flying before him. To plan and ex- 
ecute such a battle, in the manner it had been conducted, 



126 LEAVES FROM THE 

required more than ordinary generalship and bravery. 
General Sumner's large figure, mounted on a noble charger, 
and attended by his dashing staff, with his long and flow- 
ing white beard, was conspicuous during the fight ; his ap- 
pearance, as he rode down the lines, was greeted by the 
soldiers with the exclamation, "Boys, here comes Old Bull, 
give him three cheers," which they did ; and his acknowl- 
edgment of the compliment made them fight w^ith re- 
doubled energy, and renewed enthusiasm. General Dana's 
cool, steady, and valorous conduct all through the engage- 
ment, won for him the loud praises of the men, the best 
proof of its being merited. There were many others con- 
spicuous for their bravery on the occasion, and many who, 
though they were not privileged to wear a shoulder-strap, 
by their coolness and bravery materially aided in securing 
to the Union army the victory gained on this occasion. A 
private of the '74th New York Volunteers, seeing the last 
gunner of a battery shot down, sprung to the gun and ren- 
dered efficient service, dealing death to the rebel ranks. 

The Battle of Savage'' s Station. 

The battle of Savage's was much more sanguinary than 
that of Peach Orchard ; it commenced at five in the after- 
noon, and lasted until eleven at night. The rebels, when 
we had fallen back from Peach Orchard, filed with large 
reinforcements and additional batteries, as well as with 
several squadrons of cavalry, towards several roads leading 
to the Chickahominy ; and, covered by the thick timber, 
they were enabled to remain concealed until they had 
reached a wheat-field that stretches from Savage's to a 
dense belt of woods in the direction of Dr. Trent's farm, 
and the farms of a Mr. Dudley and a Mr. Couch. Suddenly 
a2')pearing out of the edge of the timber they opened with 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 127 

their rifled guns on our men, drawn ap in full view to the 
south of the railroad. Directly they ran out their batteries 
to commanding points in the wheat-field, and opened a 
rapid and well-directed enfilading fire of shell and grape, 
which was at first so staggering that our men could not 
form, nor the artillerymen bring their guns into service. 
The 106th Pennsylvania were panic-stricken, but soon re- 
covered and did good service. They lost, in the beginning 
of the battle, a hundred killed and wounded, and a reei- 
ment of rebel cavalry galloped through their ranks, driving 
the regiment off and obliging them to abandon their 
wounded. 

In the mean time, a rebel brigade was observed stealing 
down to the right, as if with the design of flanking our 
troops by reaching a position on the Williamsburg road. 
Captain Pettit at once planted two guns on the railroad 
and swept the column with grape and canister until it went 
back to the woods upon a run. Some of the sharpest in- 
fantry fighting of the war ensued, in which j^arts of Sedg- 
wick's, Richardson's, Hooker's, Kearney's, and Smith's di 
visions eno-acjed with various success. The rebels came 
determinedly across the field, firing as they advanced, until 
General Sumner ordered our troops up, at double quick, to 
a charge. About four thousand of them went off at once, 
with a roar that might have drowned the musketry. The 
rebels kept their position for a moment, and then fell back 
to the rear of their batteries. Meagher's brigade, how- 
ever, succeeded in charging right up to the guns of a 
Virginia battery, two of which they hauled off, spiked, and 
chopped the carriages to pieces. The 88th, 63d, and 69th, 
participated in this gallant act. It was here that 0rave 
Colonel Pierce of the 29th Massachusetts regiment, for- 
merly General Pierce, of Big Bethel fame, lost an arm ; it 



128 LEAVES FEOM THE 

was taken off by a solid shot. Niglit came on, but put no 
end to the carnage. The steady roar of cannon, and the 
sharp ring of musketry — now bursting into volleys — now 
degenerating to that rasping noise, made by lile-firiug, filled 
the whole air. The darkness was lit up by fitful flashes, 
and to complete the awful picture, the woods were set on 
fire by bursting shells, and conflagration painted fiery ter- 
rors on the sky. In the battle of Savage's the rebels fired 
into our hospitals repeatedly, although admonished by the 
customary red flag, and afterwards the wdiite flag. Deaf 
to all appeals for forbearance, they continued to hurl mes- 
sengers of death among those already past their vengeance, 
and the wounded were compelled to lie immovable and 
receive the quietus to their sufferings from the hands that 
had already maimed them. A few had limped away from 
the hos23itals, but were shot down, whenever they were 
discovered by the blood-thirsty foe. The*battle at Savage's 
was much heavier than that of Peach Orchard. We lost, 
in addition to our wounded, — all of whom fell into the pos- 
session of the enemy, — from seven hundred to a thousand 
men, the greater part of whom were killed or wounded. 
Most of the wounded and all the killed were left behind, as 
we had no means of transportation for them, and the exi- 
gencies of the army would not allow of delay in waiting 
the tardy movements of the wounded. Tlie enemy lost 
severely, and several of his caissons were blown up by the 
effectiveness of our firing. 

During the several parts of the action, we took not 
less than five hundred prisoners, but were compelled 
to let them go, for the same reasons that operated in 
the ^se of our wounded. The weary but still resolute 
soldiers received orders at midnight to fall back rapidly 
from Savage's across White Oak Swamp. The enemy waa^ 



DIAKY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 129 

making furtive attempts to overreach them in this respect, 
and it was Hkely to become a tight race between the rebels 
and Unionists as to whicli shonkl lirst cross the creek and 
gain the high ground on the other side. If they slioukl be 
more speedy, and succeed in placing th«^ swamp between 
ourselves and them, our retreat would be inevitably cut off 
and almost the whole army butchered or surrendered ; 
although every soldier and officer felt this dreadful alter- 
native so close, no one acted otherwise than as a North- 
erner and a man. There was no murmuring, no flinching, 
no undue hastening, — only the subdued talk of soldiers 
comparing opinions, the steady tramp of battalions, and 
now and then the gritting of teeth, or the hard drawing of 
a breath to indicate the bitterness in the hearts of all. Had 
some spirit supplied the torch, there was the requisite fire 
in the whole army to rush headlong upon immolation at Rich- 
mond and end the campaign with honor if not with con- 
summation. At dawn, all had reached the swamp, and the 
enemy were coming on behind. 

White Oah Sicamp. 

The enemy followed us hard towards White Oak Swamp 
— the faithful fellows of Heintzelman, Sumner, and Frank- 
lin protecting our laggard baggage and artillery. These, 
indeed, were compelled to keep in line of battle across the 
country, along the whole extent of the retreat, for the 
enemy was forever trying to turn us upon the right and 
left. Notwithstanding this, our march exhibited no symp- 
toms of haste or fear ; the trains went on duly, but not 
riotously, and when finally the last wagon and cannon 
went splashing through the creek, our teams whitened all 
the hills on the southern side, and the weary soldiers, 
having torn up the bridge, laid themselves down to rest. 
* 6* 



130 LEAVES FROM THE 

It was now eight o'clock on Monday, a day arid, dusty, and 
closer than the panting, but indomitable, Northerners 
could well endure. Many of them were hungry — the 
water in the swamp was such, the stomach turned at it with 
loathing — and the wounded hobbled here and there, with 
dry eyes, that seemed to plead for drink. AVhite Oak 
Creek runs through a belt of swampy timber, precisely as 
the Chickahominy flows through its encompassing morass. 
The creek is not more than four or six feet deep, and had 
been made passable by the engineer's brigade, who built a 
good corduroy bridge across it. A strip of bottom-land 
lies on both sides of the swamp, and on the north side a 
steep hill, crowned with a farm-house, formerly the head- 
quarters of General Casey, had been encircled, by our own 
troops, with a hue of rifle-pits. An abatis also stretched 
across the bottom-land. Beyond the stream the country 
was rising, and two farm-houses lay opposite each other, at 
a little distance, where some of our ofticers stopped to rest 
and refresh. Beyond the most eastern house ran a small 
creek, supported by a thick wood. This was the right of 
our new line of battle, where General Hancock was posted 
with his brigade, consisting of the 5th Wisconsin, 6th 
Maine, 43d New York, and 49th Pennsylvania. Generals 
Brooks and Davidson lay close into Hancock, and the bat- 
teries of the division were commanded by Captain Ayres, 
formerly of Sherman's battery. Generals Sumner, Heint- 
zelman. Porter, and, in fact, the whole of the army, — except- 
ino' the corps of Keyes, and an immense number of 
stragglers that had pushed on towards the James river 
and could not be rallied in time to be of service, — extended 
the line of battle upwards of four miles to the left, border- 
ing the whole distance upon the swamp, with batteries 
ranged upon every commanding hill, and a strong picket 



DIARY OF AN AKilY SUKGEON. 131 

situated at Charles City cross-roads, where it was shrewdly 
expected that the enemy would come out in force from 
Richmond. 

Hancock's position was a strong one, and it would have 
taken a strong enemy to dislodge him. The fire com- 
menced at this point, on Monday, when the bridge that tho 
engineers had constructed for the passage of our array, 
having subserved its purposes, was removed from White 
Oak Creek. Previously, the railroad bridge had been 
burned, the culverts blown up, and a lot of superfluous 
ammunition and cumbrous baggage run, by train, into the 
Chickahominy. The enemy appeared on White Oak 
Swamp, strong in force, and directly opened from some 
twenty masked batteries, that blew up several of Captain 
Mott's caissons, dismounted his pieces, and raised hubbub 
generally, among teamsters, wagoners, cannoneers, and 
infantry. The 20th I^ew York at this time made their 
celebrated stampede, for which next day the provost guard, 
by order of General McClellan, picked them up and took 
them to head-quarters, like so many culprits. Very soon 
our light batteries recovered themselves and vigorously 
responded to the enemy, who was soon at a perceptible dis- 
advantage, so far as accuracy and effect was concerned. Our 
infantry, too, fell in line, ready to support the batteries, or 
meet half-way any attempt of the rebel infantry to push 
across^ the creek. Thus the battle progressed till late in the 
afternoon, with serious loss to both sides, more w^ounds 
from cannon-shot, perhaps, resulting than at any other battle. 
The rebels made some desperate efforts to cross the creek, 
but General Smith brought his men up to close quarters 
^Y\th. them whenever they dared the contest, and although 
in each case some of our best soldiers bit the dust, there 
w^ere no signs of holding off. The cannon firing was inces 



132 LEAVES FROM THE 

sant here — some of the deepest and closest of the war — and 
the infantry fire extended along the whole column. 

The cannonading had continued several hours with fear- 
ful effect among our baggage and artillery teams. We 
had, however, prevented the enemy from crossing the 
swamp in our front, and fervently hoped he would be una- 
ble to pierce its fastness at any other point of our right or 
left. That this hope was ill founded was soon testified by 
the appearance of the enemy in strong force at Charles 
City cross-roads, which lies about four miles from White 
Oak Swamp, due south, and about a mile and a half or 
two miles from the James river at Turkey Island Bend. 
He had advanced direct from Richmond eight brigades, 
the first under command of the redoubtable Gen. Henry 
A. Wise, and, when discovered at the cross-roads, was en- 
deavoring to work quietly down the river road between 
our trains and wounded and the army. Two hours previ- 
ous such attempt might have been successful, when utter 
ruin and confusion would have ensued. Porter and Keyes 
were ordered up to repel these new-comers, the troops of 
the former still suffering from the battle of Friday in so 
great a degree that many regiments had no organization at 
all, and many brigades scarcely a regimental organization. 
At five o'clock they engaged the enemy, hidden by woods 
and the swelling of hills, and the firing from musketry and 
field-batteries was soon intense. The rebels did fatal exe- 
cution among us, and some of our most valuable officers 
fell here wounded and dying. The reports of ordnance 
had now been heard so many days, that such chaos seemed 
the normal condition of nature, and painfully the battle 
went on. It was scarcely an enthusiastic fight, for all the 
romance of battle had w^rn off by reason of its monotony. 
The men fought well, however, though half dead with 



DIAEY OF AN ARMY SDKGEON. 133 

heat, thirst, and weariness. Some broke for the river and 
phniged in the cool water for an instant, then emerging, 
rushed back to the fray and fought Hke hons. Fresh 
troops and superior numbers seemed bearing tlie tide of 
battle against ns at five o'clock, and the fate of the army- 
hung trembling in the sunset, when a new advocate came 
to our relief. About five o'clock in the afternoon the crun- 
boats. Galena, Aroostook, and Jacob Bell, opened from 
Turkey Island Bend, in the James river, with shot and 
shell, from their immense rifled guns. The previous roar 
of field artillery seemed as fiiint as the rattle of musketry, 
in comparison with these monsters of ordnance, that liter- 
ally shook the water and strained the air. The shells 
seemed to be supplied with eight-second fuses, and a con- 
siderable interval elapsed between the shock of the report 
and the subsequent explosion of the shells. They fired 
about three times a minute, frequently a broadside at a 
time, and the immense hull of the Galena careened as she 
delivered her complement of iron and flame. The first few 
shots went wide, but the man in the Galena topmast look- 
out signalled the proper elevation to the guns, and soon 
they threw among the serried ranks of the rebels on the 
hills their ponderous obligations, that cut down whole lines, 
spreading confusion, desolation, and dismay. The fire went 
on with the same fatal eflect, making music to the ears of 
our tired men, and consternation among the rebels. They, 
already confident of concluding their work and driving us 
into the James river, began to reel and grow uneasy. 
Their fire perceptibly slackened, their ranks seemed slow 
to close up wdien the naval thunder had torn them apart, 
disafiection and disappointment had already seized upon 
them, and every tleep tocsin from the Galena added its 
impetus to the prevailing dread. General Heintzelman, 



134 LEAVES FKOM THE 

with his whole corps, confident that a recovery of the for- 
tunes of the time could be made, prej^ared to give another 
great effort to retrieve the losses of the day and the cause of 
the country. Such a charge of horse and foot was seldom 
seen, while our batteries upon the hill-tops far and near 
played incessantly upon the foe. Signals were given to 
t?ie Galena to cease firing whlh this advance was deter- 
mined upon, the Galena having already hauled off. This 
was done by consecutively placed signal ofiicers all the 
way from the point of battle to the banks of the James 
river, when the thunder lulled and the great ship rested 
after her labors. Heintzelman made a little appeal to his 
generals, telling them that in the dash about to be made 
their confidence and courage might not only save the army, 
but do something towards avenging the great number of 
loyal men who had fallen in the several fatal encounters. 

The soldiers, poor, heroic, jaded fellows, responded with 
a S23ii'it that must have come from hungry hearts, and soon 
the grand corps of Heintzelman was in line, with the gaunt, 
gray figure of its commander galloping down its columns. 
The enemy anticipated some such dash, for they directed 
their fire upon this part of the line, if possible, more con- 
centratedly than ever. Then Heintzelman passed down 
the order, and like the surging of a sea long embosomed in 
a plain, the column moved slowly, certainly, vigorously, 
belching fire and ball at every step, but never halting, un- 
til they came so close to the rebels that they might have 
hallooed the names of each man to man across the little in- 
terval. The latter came up bravely to the offered combat, 
but there was a destructiveness in our fire, and a vehe- 
mence in our tread, that they could not withstand. The 
fiery brigade of Meagher edged up galla»itly on the right, 
using the musket quite soldierly ; and General Sickles' Ex- 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 135 

celsior Brigade, already fearfully cut up, went into tlie ac- 
tion like a battalion of fresh veterans. The brigade of 
Hooker was ably led by that distinguished officer, and 
General Kearney seemed ubiquitous, as he screamed liis 
orders here and there, always urging his men on to the 
foe. The brigade of General Grover, including some Mas- 
sachusetts regiments, behaved finely here ; but the whole 
cordis was a unit, and Heintzelman was its genius. Push- 
ing steadily ahead, defying all efforts of the enemy to 
break or turn its line, the corps had at last the satisfaction 
of seeing the enemy break and fly in confusion to the 
swamp, totally dispirited and repulsed. We took, in this 
engagement, over two thousand prisoners; but as our ob- 
ject had been gained, in covering our advance to the James 
river, it was not deemed of sufficient importance, in view 
of the risk to be encountered, to hold possession of them 
through the night. A large number of these prisoners, 
however, remain on our hands, and will serve in some way 
to console us for the loss of very many of our own. The 
battle of White Oak Swamp was scarcely inferior to that 
of Gaines' Mill in point of losses of life, wounded, and pris- 
oners. We undoubtedly suffered less than the enemy, who 
was literally butchered, but our own loss is enormous. 
We lost all of Mott's battery but a single gun ; the whole 
of Randall's battery; one gun, we believe, of Captain 
Ayres, and several others in various parts of the field. We 
could not have lost, in killed and wounded, less than 2500 
men, and our loss may reach twice that amount. But we 
gained our point, and made the James river, despite all 
the enemy's attempts to cut us off therefrom. In failing 
to do this, he suffered a defeat. Whereas, in the pitch 
of battle, Ave beat him back with immense loss, and he Avas 
so crippled as to be unwilling or unable to fire a gun next 



136 LEAVES FROM THE 

day. Tlie gunboats Galena and Aroostook are entitled to 
the most unbounded credit. They came into action just at 
the right time, and did most excellent service. 

The region of the James is high, hilly, and bountifully 
marked by nature with all that vegetable opulence can 
supply. The ripe wheat-fields, and the long wavy stretches 
of clover, burst like a vision in fever upon the weary eyes 
of our wounded and footsore. Some fell down by the 
banks of the river, and lapped the bright water like dogs. 
Others fell upon the margin, and Avept. General McClel- 
lan's tent was pitched by a beautiful farm-house at Cum- 
mings Wharf, near Great Turkey Bend, just on the bank 
of the river. He wrote his dispatches here, and sent them 
off by the " Stepping Stones," in charge of the French 
Prince De Joinville, the Duke de Chartres, and the Count 
de Paris. The general spent a part of the afternoon on 
board of the Galena, and as he passed along the crowded 
banks in the commodore's barge, all the troops, even to the 
haggard wounded, cheered him lustily. He doubtlessly 
slept peacefully that night, having saved his army and 
placed it more secure, and in a more convenient position. 
In addition to the loss of our field-batteries reported, we 
also lost several of the large siege-guns, that had only 
reached the army a few days before {he action on Friday. 
A number of them were spiked, and rendered useless for 
all time to come. 

There are here, at Harrison's Landing, fine wharves and 
roads, which will probably be the future depot of the grand 
army of the James." It is a fine old property, commanding 
a long view down the river, and there are several excellent 
Avells on the premises. The house itself has been turned 
into a hospital. At the landing there are several thousand 
teams of all descriptions, and five hospital transports were 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 137 

lying off the pier. Ammunition was being landed in great 
quantities, and hauled to the field of battle. On Tuesday, 
at two o'clock, every thing on the James had assumed a con- 
dition of comparative cheerfulness. There was no strong de- 
sire to leave the place expressed either by civilians or sol- 
diers, reviving confidence was expressed in every look and 
assurance. The people had comprehended General Mc- 
Clellan's bold plan ; when it was fought out, and the reins, 
by unanimous consent, were restored to him, as still the 
only successful arbiter of our destiny. Had we had half as 
many men as the enemy, in the fights of Gaines' Mill and 
White Oaks, we would have possibly retrieved the whole 
fortunes of those disastrous engagements. The James 
river Avas full of transports on Tuesday afternoon, .and the 
wounded will soon arrive in Xew York and other large 

cities. 

»• 
The Battle of GoUincfs Farm. 

About seven o'clock on Friday evening, Toombs' Geor- 
gia Brigade, one of the best in the Confederate service, 
drove in our pickets, and advanced, with close volleys of 
musketry, in two lines of battle. Hancock's Brigade, con- 
sisting of the 5th Wisconsin, 6th Maine, 43d New York, 
and 49tli Pennsylvania regiments, Avas immediately under 
arms, as they had indeed been all day, expecting to join in 
the contest on the other side. They advanced over a piece 
of corduroy road, passed the redoubt to the right, and after 
traversing a bottom or declivity, formed^ in line of battle 
about a third of a mile from the redoubt, and on the as- 
cending slope of a hill. Here they threw themselves upon 
their bellies, so that they could just peep over a crest by 
rising to their knees, and awaited the onslaught of the ene- 
my. The pickets skirmished right into the main body, 



138 LEAVES FROM THE 

tlie rebels coming pell-mell after tliem, hoiking to capture 
the whole force, when, just as they turned the crest of the 
hill, Hancock's Brigade and Brooks' 5th Vermont regiment 
gave them a staggering fire. At the same time the artil- 
lery from the redoubt and below opened upon them, and 
they fell right and left, in heaps and files, until the des- 
peration of the Georgians changed to doubt and then to 
panic. As they attempted to fall back our men rose to 
their feet, rushed some distance, and lay down again, pour- 
ing in, as before, murderous volleys. The whole fight last- 
ed half an hour or an hour, and ended in one hundred dead 
Georgians being left upon the field. Our loss was exceed- 
ingly slight, as our men were not only properly generalled, 
but thej-egimental officers of this brigade are some of the 
most efficient in the service, as Colonel Cobb of the 5th 
Wisconsin, Colonel Burnham of the 6th Maine, Colonel 
Vinton of the 49th New York, &c., &c. 

Second Day of the Fight at Golding's Farm. 

The next morning the infuriated Georgians, who had 
meantime heard of their success of Friday across the Chick- 
ahominy, determined to attack our lines before General 
Smith's division a second time, and make another effort to 
occupy the redoubt near Golding's house. Their dead still 
lay in the bottom or meadow where they had fallen the 
night before, and our troops had stolen around in the 
night to a strip of wood near a picket station, where 
they dug and n^sked a rifle-pit. About eight o'clock 
the Georgians formed in line of battle, commanded by 
Colonel Lamar of the Vth Georgia Volunteers, — whose 
connection with the celebrated slave case of the yacht 
Waaiderer will be remembered, — the Seventh was the first 
regiment, by repute, which joined the rebel service. They 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 139 

did not seem dispirited by tlieir ill success of tlie day be- 
fore, but marched boldly up to the same inevitable fate. 
Terrible volleys that cut them to pieces, literally butcher- 
ing them, and their enemy, though so obvious to feeling, 
was nowhere plain to the sight. Lying in the tangled 
grass, buried in the timber, prone under the sill of turf, or 
drawing a bead through a fence, the keen-eyed Wisconsin, 
Maine, or Pennsylvanian, was holding the terrible rifle, 
every thrill of wdiich sent the leaden messenger through 
flesh and bone. In the beginning of the figlit Lamar was 
mortally wounded, and in attempting to rescue him his 
lieutenant-colonel was taken prisoner. Our rifle-pit galled 
their retreat, a movement they were compelled to make, 
but all its heroic denizens were bayoneted. Lamar was a 
beautiful man, singularly like a w^oman, but he had all 
the fierce elements of a warrior, and died suppressing every 
moan or cry. His wound w^as a bad one, and he must have 
sufiered terribly. General Brooks is generally rumored to 
be seriously w^ounded. His brigade of Yermonters be- 
haved like veterans in the several engagements between 
Gaines' Mill and Wliite Oak Swamp. The same indomita- 
ble pluck that instigated the charge across the dam at 
Warwick River, marked their course in the fight of Gold- 
ing's Farm, Savage's, and Wldte Oaks. 'Jhe loss of this 
brigade is, perhaps, less than that of any of the brigades of 
Smith's division. The provost marshal's troops, command- 
ed by Major John M. Willard, were of incalculable ser- 
vice in maintaining discipline on the day of the battle. 
They collected the tired stragglers and skulkers and sent 
them to their several regiments. Others who could not be 
turned over to their commands, were organized by some 
of the ofiicers of the provost guard, and made to do guard 
service in the fight at Charles City cross-roads. Captain 



140 LEAVES FEOM THE 

Walcott commanding a battery, did fine execution in the 
fight at White Oak Swamp. They were posted on the brow 
of a hill, and signahzed themselves among a number of bat- 
teries posted aromid them, for skill in the handling of their 
guns and general soldierly demeanor. There is no doubt as 
to the loss of General McCall. This gallant officer had his 
liorse, a spirited black stallion, shot in four places during 
the fight on Friday. His coat was also repeatedly torn by 
bullets, and his aids trembled for his safety as he persisted 
in riding hither and thither encouraging his men. The 
gallant fight of these men may be traced entirely to the 
coolness and collectedness of their commander. He had 
been the victim of neuralgia for a long time, but has ful- 
filled his duties unflinchingly through evil and good report. 
General Meade, also of this division, distinguished himself 
for courage and activity. He has been taken prisoner. The 
rebel officers were so disguised by questionable and ob- 
scure costumes, that perhaps on the several engagements 
they lost fewer officers than we. Our officers, on the con- 
trary, were so conspicuously clothed that they were promi- 
nent marks, — hence the great mortality in this respect. 

Our troops say that, during the fight, they saw no rebel 
officers. Rush's regiment of lancers did good service, not 
only in the fight of Friday, but in the subsequent occur- 
rences of Savage's station and White Oak Swamp. In the 
battle of Gaines' Mill they charged a little to the south ot 
the old mill upon an Alabama brigade, and threw their 
long-handled lances with terrible eflect, in many cases 
smiting the rebels to the ground by piercing them through 
and through. The scene witnessed when tliis fine regiment 
charged, may well be historical : their long lances upright, 
their red pennants streaming, and the riders like so many 
avengers, bending forward to make the plunge. 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SURGEON.. 141 

The most frightful slaughter occurred in the New Jer- 
sey Brigade, commanded by General Taylor. Colonel 
Tucker, of the 3d regiment; Colonel Simpson, of the 4th; 
and Lieiit.-colonel Hatch, of the 4th, are dead ; Major Bir- 
ney, brother of General Birney, shot through the bowels; 
Major Ryerson, of the •2d, killed ; Major Hatfield, of the 
1st, shot in the head ; Adjutant Fairly, formerly connected 
with General Garibaldi, wounded seriously in the head. 
Tlie 1st regiment went into action with 685 men, lost 195 ; 
the 2d lost upwards of 200 men ; the Yth went into action 
with 700 men, and came out with 70 ; the 3d had only four 
companies engaged : the brigade went into action with 
2500 bayonets, and cannot now muster 1200. All this loss 
occui-red on Friday, between the hours of five and seven 
p. M., and does not include any subsequent losses that may 
have happened in other battles. Colonel Torbert, of the 
1st regiment, is safe, having been sick with a fever. He 
rode upon the field, tottering. The Pennsylvania Reserve 
corps fouglit on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and 
Monday, on each and all of the leading fights, and their 
losses are terrible. In all cases they behaved like good 
and gallant soldiers, and the commonwealth they represent 
had nothing in common with them of which she may not 
be proud. The Reserves did not lose more than 150 men 
in the engagement of Thursday, at Mechanicsville ; but 
after the fight on Friday, they reported the ahnost incredi- 
ble loss of 2200 men. The subsequent encounter must 
have increased their loss to 4000, and in this is contained three 
generals, including General Meade, several colonels, majors, 
captains, &c., &c., representing every part of Pennsylvania. 
Among the rumors afloat on the field of battle was one, on 
Tuesday, that General McCall had been killed ; and it was 
also reported that General Meade and General Reynolds 



142 ^ LEAVES FKOM THE 

were missing. Ayres and Mott's batteries, of General 
Smith's Division, have been engaged in a dozen fights, and 
Jiave acquitted themselves gloriously on each occasion. 
Captain Mott lost his battery at White Oak Swamp. In 
the embarrassing position in Avhich he was placed, he fitted 
np temporary wheels from the baggage-wagons, and fired 
to the last. The charge of the 1st and 5th Regular cav- 
alry, at Gaines' Hill, though brave and dashing, was not 
prudent. The 1st had but two companies; the 5th, 600 
men. They charged up the hill and galloped around two 
divisions of the rebels, firing their revolvers at them. The 
rebels waited with fixed bayonets for them, and drove 
them over one of our batteries. The next morning the 
5th reported but one officer for duty. The 20th New 
York, it is said, did not behave well at the battle of White 
Oak Swamp. Some mules were drinking at the time in 
White Oak Creek, and these, alarmed at the opening of 
the fire, galloped furiously up the hill, close to the 20th, 
which broke and run, scarcely less undignified. General 
McClellan ordered a squadron of cavalry to pick up strag- 
glers of this organization, on Tuesday, and guard them to 
head-quarters. The order was carried out in its extreme 
conditions, and the regiment may be considered as virtually 
under arrest, ofticers and men. Colonel Gallagher, of the 
11th Pennsylvania Reserves, was killed in Friday's fight; 
Lieutenant-colonel Porter and Major Snodgrass, of the 
same regiment, were made prisoners. The Bucktails 
report about 120 men left. Four of their companies 
were with Kane in the Slienandoah Valley, and six with 
McClellan, A whole company was taken in the fight on 
Thursday. Major Stone commanded during the late bat- 
tle. The 6th regiment of Reserves were doing picket duty 
at Tunstall's station, and it is behoved they all escaped 



DIAEY OF AN AKMY SUKGEON. , 113 

harm up to Saturday, but subsequently they might have 
suffered seriously. General Seymour, who commanded the 
brigade, formerly commanded by a general of Dranesville 
fame, had two horses killed under him. The Reserves 
made several desperate dashes with the bayonet. Their 
ammunition gave out at six o'clock on Friday, up to which 
time they had discharged 100 rounds— 50 in cartridge-box 
and 50 in haversack. 

At four o'clock, on Friday, the fight beyond the Chicka- 
hominy grew desperate. The enemy redoubled his efforts, 
and pressed hard upon our centre and right. He evidently 
labored to turn us in the latter direction, and to that end 
pushed his left to Coal Harbor, designing to flank us and 
prevent, if possible, access to our bridges of communication 
with the south bank. Our brigade was ready to prevent 
any such catastrophe, and battery after battery was brought 
into position, lintil the screaming of balls baffled description : 
such sublime artillery practice was never witnessed. The 
infantry that had been skirmishing on their bellies, or firing 
irregularly from some concealed covert, now rose in line 
and poured in deadly volleys. All seemed to realize that an 
emergency had come, and resolved to contest each inch of 
ground. The scene has never been excelled on this conti- 
nent. Each volley took hundreds off their feet, until the 
air seemed to groAV clammy with the dead, and hoarse with 
the dying. Slowly our troops — outnumbered, but great- 
hearted — fell back after resigning their dead ; and all the 
while the enemy's shell and ball played havoc in their ranks. 
Most of the dead, and a portion of the w^ounded, we were 
obhged to leave on the field at Gaines' Mill to the mercy 
of the enemy. It w^as a cruel necessity, but unavoidable. 
All the hospitals were crowded with sick and wounded, 
and the surgeons v/ere busily engaged in relieving, as fast 



141 LEAVES FROM THE 

as possible, the suffering and misery of the great numbers 
committed to their care. The usual heart-rending scenes 
were witnessed at the hospitals ; and, as the groans and 
sighs of the wounded and lacerated heroes ascended to 
heaven, it seemed as if the liatred of this cruel, causeless 
rebellion in which tlieir lives had been sacrificed, must be 
deepened and intensified throughout the land. The loss of 
the rebels in the battle at Mechanicsville was much larger 
than ours; and as they by far outnumbered us^t the battle 
of Gaines' Mill, and were for hours under a very heavy 
artillery fire, as well as small-ai-ms, and exposed to repeated 
and determined bayonet charges, it is thought that their 
loss on Friday must have largely exceeded our own. It is 
but justice to the rebels to say that they fought well, and 
with a bravery which, if displayed in a better cause, and in 
defence of, instead of for the destruction of our national ex- 
istence, would have forever secured the admiration and 
gratitude of their countrymen. They fouglit witli an 
energy and desperation which has not hitherto been dis- 
played by them anywhere. They were animated by the 
presence of " Stonewall Jackson ;" and Jeff. Davis himself 
was on the field cheering them to the battle. The 4th 
Pennsylvania Cavalry, commanded by Colonel Childs, 
assisted in covering the retreat. At the battle of Gaines' 
Mill it lost ten men and twenty horses. The bridges that 
had cost so much labor were blown up on Friday night 
and Saturday — Woodbury's being the last to go up, at ten 
o'clock, on Saturday morning. They had facilitated our 
retirement ; but their removal could not greatly embarrass 
that of the enemy, who recrossed at New Bridge and 
above, and prepared for their subsequent descent upon our 
forces at Peach Orchard and Savage's. Sykes' Regular 
Brigade, the gallant brigade of regular infantry men, is 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 145 

said to have lost forty officers and two thousand soldiers. 
The 2d regiment is cut down to a mere vestige, and some 
can scarcely turn out a corporal's guard. Lieutenant-colonel 
Barney of the 2d Maine is missing, probably a prisoner ; Ad- 
jutant L. P. Mudgett, do., Assist.-surg. A. D. Palmer, do. ; 
Captain Emmerson, Company E, severely wounded, and 
a prisoner ; Lieutenant Brown, Company B, wounded and 
a prisoner; Lieutenant Currier, slightly wounded. All 
these were lost in the fight of Friday. This regiment took 
the flag of the 5th Alabama. 

Among the killed in Franklin's division, now Slocum's, 
Colonel Tucker, 2d New Jersey ; Colonel Goslin of the 
Philadelphia Zouaves ; Colonel Simpson, '7th New Jer- 
sey ; Lieutenant-colonel Heath, 5th Maine ; Colonel Stock- 
ton, 16th Michigan. Among the wounded and prisoners 
are Colonel Jackson, 5th Maine; Colonel Pratt, 32d 
New York ; Major Hough, 55th Pennsylvania. The 
presence of General Slocum at Woodbury's Bridge battle 
is a high attestation to his gallantry. He had been 
sick, with fever, for a long time, but when the order was 
given for his division to advance, he determined to lead 
them. The firing was hottest when they entered the field, 
and death made gashes in their lines. They persevered, 
regiment after regiment pressing on, until depleted 
and wasted ; and the heroic Slocum cheered them on, until 
Nature asserted her claims, and he fell from his horse. 
Having been taken from the field, he recovered, after a 
time, and again ordered his men to place him on his horse 
and accompany him to the field. Perhaps no one is more 
regretted, in this division, than Lieutenant-colonel Heath, 
of Waterville, Maine. He was, of all men, the most con- 
sistent, courageous, and chivalrous. He was seen, a little 
while before the battle, reading serenely in the shade of his 

7 



14:6 LEAVES FKOM THE 

tent, a Latin copy of Caesar's " Commentaries." His relations 
with his men and fellow-officers were such as only exist 
among high-minded gentlemen. Heath was a soldier by 
instinct, and a man of rare forensic powers. He had been 
United States consul at Quebec, during Mr. Buchanan's 
administration. Colonel Jackson is seriously wounded, but 
was in good spirits when last heard from. He has arrived 
at Fortress Monroe. Each of the three brigades of New- 
ton, Bartlett, and Taylor fought like fiends, and they 
covered the army, saving it from still greater loss. 

The reserve artillery was engaged on Thursday and Fri- 
day, and also in the great battle of Monday. Tidball's 
battery blew up three of the enemy's caissons, and had 
seven men and six horses shot. Major Robinson's battery 
sufi'ered as severely. Weed's regular artillery broke two 
axles, whereby two pieces had to be abandoned, after being 
spiked. Captain Weed was wounded in the face. We 
captured a rebel flag, now held by the 2d Maine regiment, 
marked on one side " Victory," and on the other " Equal 
Rights." That regiment had lost one hundred and thirty- 
six men, from various causes, up to Saturday morning — • 
how many since, it will take some time to decide. It was 
posted on the left of Martind ale's brigade, in the centre of 
the line of battle. The 13th New York took the battle- 
flag of the 'Zth Tennessee. The rebel artillery consisted, in 
the several battles, mostly of rifled six and twelve pounders, 
seldom, if ever, of larger calibre. They practised the con- 
centration of fire from a dozen or twenty batteries uj^on a 
single point, and their practice was most unerring and 
powerful. In some cases, as for a time at White Oak 
Swamp, we could not get under play at aU, owing to the 
vehemence of the enemy's artillery. When the Galena's 
big guns opened, however, the rebels began to think we 



DIARY OF AN AKMY SURGEON. 147 

had a whole armada in reserve. Colonel Torbert, of the 
1st New Jersey, is safe. He had the fever, but persisted 
in riding to the field, where finding his colors still waving, 
he seized them, in an ardor of emotion, and pressed them 
to his breast. He is the idol of the brigade, and the signa- 
tures of every general in his corps have been forwarded to 
the War Department to make him a brigadier-general. 
The 83d Pennsylvania regiment was raised in Crawford 
and Erie counties. Its colonel, J.. W. McLane, of Erie, 
had been sheriff*, and his term was yet unexpired, when he 
hastened to the defence of the Union. He was shot 
through the head, near Woodbury's Bridge, and instantly 
killed. Major L. H. Nagle, of New Albany, Indiana, of 
the 83d Pennsylvania regiment, was shot through the 
breast at the same time. Captain Morris, of Company B, 
was shot through the hip and taken prisoner. The regi- 
ment lost, in the fight of Friday, about two hundred men. 
It was attached to Morrell's division, and was the left regi- 
ment in line but one, viz., the 44th New York. They 
also suffered badly. Several companies of the 1st regiment 
United States Sharp-shooters, Colonel Berdan, were, early 
in the day of Friday's fight, deployed as skirmishers in the 
woods on our right and in front of General Griffin's brigade, 
under the immediate command of Lieutenant-colonel Rip- 
ley. They had thirty-eight of the new target rifles ; and 
the two companies in the woods, to the left, used Sharpe's 
rifles. They held their position until their support had 
fiillen back some distance, so that the rebels attacked them 
on the flank, as well as in front. They then fell back and 
formed a line with them. Lieutenant Gibbs, Avith the 
target rifles, was ordered by Colonel Griffin to pass around 
the reserve. This brought them into a field surrounded 
on three sides by rebel riflemen. Here they were em- 



148 LEAVES FEOM THE 

ployed with the artillery with great success. They were 
attacked by a rebel brigade, which deployed out of the 
woods in good order, bearing a black flag, with death's 
head and cross-bones. This brigade w^as repulsed by the 
united eflbrts of the artillery and sharp-shooters. The dif- 
ferent companies were splendidly posted by Colonel Berdan, 
and were on duty the whole day, rendering good service, 
as usual. 

The 14th New York,- 9th Massachusetts, and 62d Penn- 
sylvania were formed in the woods, on the right. About 
two o'clock they were attacked by a large force of rebels, 
who had succeeded in entering the woods. They were at 
first driven back, but soon rallied and charged upon the 
enemy, and drove them out of the woods. They held 
the position until sundown, when they were ordered to fall 
back. Early in the day Colonel Black, of the Pennsyl- 
vania 62d, was killed. He was an able and popular officer. 
On the opposite side of the ravine. Colonel McQuade, of 
the 14th New York Volunteers, assisted by detachments 
from difierent regiments of the Pennsylvania Reserves, 
held the position until the left was broken ; and it becoming 
untenable, they retreated up the hill. For about an hour 
and a half, in the afternoon, the rebel infantry and riflemen 
flred by volleys, without cessation. It was one continuous 
sheet of fire, and the noise terrific. During this time they 
did great execution, but the men stood it well and returned 
the fire vigorously. It rained shot and musket-balls. To- 
wards night a number of the regiments, who had lost a 
large number of their officers, began to retreat rapidly 
towards the bridge on the Chickahominy, and for a time 
til ere was danger of a regular stampede. Had not this been 
checked the battle would have ended in a complete rout. 
Seeing this, Colonel Berdan, of the sharp-shooters, rallied 



DIABY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 149 

some officers and men, and determinedly stayed the retreat- 
ing mass, discharging several shots from his revolver over 
their heads, calling loudly upon them not to disgrace them- 
selves and, their cause by such an ignominious flight in the 
face of the enemy. In this he was vigorously assisted by 
Captain Hoyt, of General Butterfield's staff, and other 
officers. The disorderly retreat was checked and the men 
formed in line of battle, under Colonel Berdan's command. 
While this was going on, the enemy had collected a large 
force, and were preparing to charge down upon them. 
The men then commenced to advance rapidly, cheering 
loudly, and the enemy, seeing this, withdrew. Much credit 
is due to Colonel Berdan for his prompt and decisive ac- 
tion, and it is undoubtedly due to his exertions that this 
portion of the army was saved from the disgrace and disas- 
ter of a disorderly retreat. He was enthusiastically cheered 
by the men whom he had saved. They remained in 
j^osition, near the hos23ital, until about dark, when they 
retreated, in good order, across the Chickahominy. 

Jeff. Davis was at the house of Mrs. Price, just opposite 
Dr. Gaines', for three consecutive days before the battle of 
Thursday, in every case engaged in close consultation with 
General Lee. Colonel Towers, of the 7th Georgia, stated 
that Jeff, planned the whole attack. 



150 LEAVES FKOM THE 



CHAPTER XIY. 

RETREAT TO JAMES RIVER. 

Ix tli6 foregoing pages I have given a full and faithful 
account of the movements, actions, and conflicts of the two 
contending armies during the ever-memorable seven days' 
fight before Richmond ; but some detail of the individual 
commands will not be uninteresting to the friends of those 
brave troops engaged, and will serve as an impartial record 
of those interesting incidents of this volume of the rebellion. 

While the great battles of the 26th and 27th of June 
were progressing on the extreme right wing of the army, 
there was more or less fighting along the whole line of the 
extreme left. The enemy was now everywhere on the of- 
fensive. In these affairs Sumner's corps, which formed our 
centre and front, played an important part. The sound of 
cannon on our right grew louder towards the evening, and 
it became evident that we were drawing the enemy into a 
trap, or that our troops were obhged to retire before them. 
The latter soon became apparent, when the right wing, 
under General Porter, were retreating after an obstinate 
and bloody resistance. At six o'clock, in the evening. Gen- 
eral McClellan ordered two brigades from Sumner's corps 
to the right, to cover the retreat of our forces across the 
Chickahominy. In obedience, General Sumner sent forward 
the Irish Brigade and General French's. They proceeded 
at a double quick, with cheers, and crossed the Chicka- 
hominy bridge in less than three-quarters of an hour after- 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 151 

wards. Here they joined the brave fellows who had been 
fighting the rebels all day against superior numbers, but 
who were now hastily falling back, Sykes' division covering 
their retreat. General French's brigade was thrown out 
to the right. The regulars, under General Sykes, were 
ordered to fall back, the Irish Brigade taking their place. 
As the stream of dead and wounded was hurried to the 
rear, these fresh troops, undaunted by the panic, rushed 
forward with enthusiastic cheers, which the rebels hearing, 
and seeing the new regiments deploying before them, hesi- 
tated. This gave time for all the other battalions to reform, 
which tliey did in good order, and stoutly held their ground. 
The Irish Brigade at once threw one or two volleys into the 
rebels, and French's Brigade manoeuvred in a menacing 
manner on their flank ; thus checking their pursuit and 
obliging them to fall back a m'le or so beyond the late 
battle-field. As the night closed on the scene, some of the 
troops were so near each other that the 30th Georgia lay 
down within forty paces of the 88th New York Volunteers, 
of the Irish Brigade ; and its adjutant, and several of its men, 
unwittingly entered the camj) of the 88th, and were aston- 
ished to find themselves prisoners of war. The orders 
were not to pursue the enemy, and both sides were too 
much exhausted to continue the combat. 

The morning broke clear and cool. Our troops still held 
the ground beyond the Chickahominy. The rebels had 
returned towards the position they held on the preceding 
day. The losses of yesterday were heavy on both sides. 
We lost over six thousand, in killed, wounded, and missing. 
The enemy's loss, if not greater, was full as many. Early 
this morning the Irish and French's brigades fell bacli to 
protect the bridge, until the division of General Sykes had 
crossed over. This it did at daylight, in good order, but 



152 LEAVES FKOM THE 

with terribly redaced ranks, and without any opposition 
from the enemy, who showed but Uttle disposition to 
renew the fight, as they imagined our right wing had been 
reinforced, and supposed we wanted to draw them into an 
ambuscade across the creek. As soon as all the troops had 
safely crossed over, the engineers blew up the bridge, and 
then these two brigades, French's and the Irish brigades, 
returned to their encampments with their own division 
(Richardson's), and, with the rest of the army, remained 
constantly under arms. 

It now becoming evident to General McClellan that no 
time was to be lost in carrying out his plan of changing 
his base of operations from the Pamunkey to the James 
river, he at once changed his front, as the ground gained 
by the enemy enabled him to threaten our right flank, as 
as well as our communications in the rear. The order, 
when given, was promptly obeyed. The baggage and 
supply trains commenced moving, while a strong force of 
cavalry and artillery were placed at every ford and liridge 
across the Chickahominy by which the enemy might ^•ff'ect 
a crossing before we were fully prepared to receive him. 
Skirmishing had been briskly carried on by the rebels during 
the night, but discontinued earlier than usual. At day- 
light on the 29th, most of the troops had left the breast- 
works and taken up their march for the James i-iver. 
General Sumner's corps w^as intrusted with the dangerous 
j)ost of covering the retreat. By four o'clock the pickets 
were called in, which was done so quietly that the enemy was 
still unconscious of our design, and imagined that we were 
still in full force before them. Yet they soon discovered 
the movement, and before long they entered the works our 
men had left. The march was steadily continued, undei 
the precautions taken to cover our rear ; nor did we again 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 153 

see the enemy until they appeared before us at Peach 
Orchard, on the line of the Richmond and West Point 
railroad. No sooner were they discovered than General 
Sedgwick ordered General Burns to prepare to receive 
them. They were distant but a mile, and beginning to 
show their strength ; and before we were aware, a terrible 
shower of shells and round-shot snapped the branches of 
the trees above and around us. It became evident that to 
save ourselves the enemy must receive a check. The 1st 
Minnesota was thrown out as skirmishers, and the rattle of 
musketry soon mingled with the booming of artillery. On 
our side, Kirby's battery had obtained a good range, and 
played away, with a certainty of aim and constancy that 
tore the ranks of the rebels asunder ; but their force was 
so large that the IVlinnesota boys were soon obliged to fall 
back, which they did in good order, under Colonel Sully, 
their commander. The 71st Pennsylvania, 2d New York, 
and other regiments now rushed to their assistance, which 
checked the advance of the enemy, and obliged him to fall 
back to the cover of the woods. This occurred between 
nine and ten o'clock, and cost us over one hundred and 
fifty, killed and w^ounded. Thus ended the first of a series 
of encounters, which, with the several battles described, 
miglit be said to have commenced at Orchard station, and 
continued, without intermission, until our arrival at Turkey 
Grove, on the James river. The time spent in destroying 
the stores which we were unable to carry with us, gave 
the enemy time to rest, and at about five o'clock in the 
afternoon he came in sight, near Savage's station, about 
three miles from Orchard station. We first discovered his 
cavalry masking a battery, and with both flanks and infan- 
try, in the rear, marching in column of brigades, present- 
ing a triple front of over half a mile in length. The 

7* 



154: LEAVES FKOM THE 

Minnesota boys, with Baxter's Zouaves, were again thrown 
out to skirmish. Smith's Division formed on our riglit, and 
Richardson's protected our left from the flanking cokimns 
of the enemy. Segdwick's Division formed the front, and 
well maintained its ground, though often the skirmishers 
were driven back upon it, by the terrific front and flanking 
fires of the enemy. A heavy portion of the action fell on 
Burns' Brigade, and General Burns was wounded by a 
minie-ball, which shaved off his moustache and passed 
through his cheek, coming out below the ear, fracturing 
the jawbone and knocking out several of his teeth ; but 
though he received this painful wound, he continued to 
keep his seat, and, by gestures (for he could not speak), to 
direct his men in the face of the enemy, with great gal- 
lantry. That he was able to do so, can only be accounted 
for by his possessing a brave and indomitable spirit, which 
the occasion had nerved to its utmost pitch. His heroic 
conduct called forth the unqualified admiration of his men 
and of General Sedgwick. 

The terrific onslaught of the enemy was momentarily 
stayed by the steady and well-directed fire of the 1st 
California, 2d New York, and 106th Pennsylvania, who 
were hotly engaged during this time, and the reinforcement 
now received by the rebels told upon our centre, under 
their terrible storm of grape and musketry. Just at this 
momentous time, General McClellan was seen riding in 
the midst of the field with the greater portion of his staff. 
His order to let the enemy have some grape and canister 
was heard and passed along the lines ; and as he rode fear- 
lessly through the enemy's fire, he was loudly cheered by 
the gallant 88th, under Colonel Baker, who now came 
suddenly on the flank of the rebels and routed them com- 
pletely, taking 140 prisoners. In the mean time, other 



DIAEY OF AN ARMY SUEGEON-. 155 

rebel regiments closed around tliem ; and to add to their 
discomfiture, they were shelled from the ^voods out of 
which they emerged to the engagement. This fight oc- 
curred in an open field nearly a mile square, and the strug- 
gle was one of the fiercest ever known. It lasted over 
three hours, in the most determined manner, and the yells 
of the men on both sides, mingled at intervals with the 
thundering of the guns and the incessant cracking of mus- 
ketry, lent an exciting interest to the scene, that held in 
breathless agony of suspense the lookers-on of this bloody 
conflict, which night 23ut an end to ; but not until the rebels 
w^ere fairly driven from the field of battle. When these all- 
important results were procured by the bravery of the gal- 
lant Irish 88th N. Y., General McClellan, seeing that all 
danger was at an end, rode off the field towards the front. 
Our loss in this engagement was very heavy, — over one 
thousand men killed, wounded, and missing. The enemy's 
loss was also heavy, equal, if not exceeding, ours. Of 
this we had no means of ascertaining but by the gaps made 
in their ranks by our artillery and muskets. Our troops 
remained in the unmolested possession of the battle-field 
until eleven o'clock, when our advance guard of the cover- 
ing column resumed its line of march to the James river. 
At one o'clock that night it reached the White Oak bridge; 
and at 3 a. m. on Monday the rear-guard, consisting of a 
squadron of the 6th New York Y. C, crossed the bridge, 
bringing up with them all the stragglers capable of w^alk- 
ing ; but many were so worn out that they fell by the w\ay- 
side and became the enemy's prisoners. At 5 a. m. the 
bridge over the swamp was blown up. This was done as 
the liead of the enemy's column was seen advancing. Soon 
the troops reached a position which will ever be remem- 
bered by them, and will form a striking feature in the an- 



156 LEAVES FKOM TifE 

nals of warfare. Encamped here in the stiUness of a sum- 
mer's morning, the clear whistle of a steam-valve is heard 
at a mile's distance. One remarks, " The rebels are run- 
ning the train ;" to which another replies, " That cannot 
be the cars." " Yes, but it is," chimes in a third. But 
hark! another, louder whistle is heard, unlike a locomo- 
tive. It is not from the direction of the railroad. Ko ; it 
is a much more welcome sound. It is from the gunboats 
on the James river ; and now that this is decided, a loud, 
spontaneous, and long-continued cheer is given for the gun- 
boats which proclaim their readiness to assist iis. But 
our toils are not yet over. No ; we have to fight the 
bloodiest of the seven days' battles, and that within hear- 
ins: of our o-unboats. 

The enemy, prevented by our artillery from reconstruct- 
ing the White Oak bridge, would, we thought, not molest 
ns for a day at least. Many of our men were much ex- 
hausted from want of sleep and extra labor, and all were 
so weary that the prospect of even a temporary rest was 
a great boon to us ; next to which came the beautiful weath- 
er, which kept the roads in fine condition. Quietness 
reigned until four o'clock in the afternoon, when we were 
again aroused by the booming of distant guns. We knew 
that the rebels could' not have crossed the broken bridge, 
as our artillery held it. From whence, then, did this new 
cannonading come ? Could he have got in our rear ? 
Such were the questions quickly put to one another by the 
men and ofiicers of our corps, as the shells began to fill 
around us. Mortilied, but not discouraged at this fresh 
attack, a shout, clear and ringing, passed down the lines, 
" Here they are again, boys ! Let us show them again 
how they must run before Yankees !" This was the spirit 
that animated Sumner's corps. Meanwhile the rebel guns 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 157 

were mowing down the trees and branches, and every thmg 
that offered resistance to their missiles. Our gnns were 
not long silent, and, as usual, soon slackened the enemy's 
fire. The inquiry became general, "How did they get 
there ?" It was plain. They made use of two roads un- 
known to us, by which they flanked us on the right and 
left with their columns, while we had our wearied troops 
guarding the bridge on the principal road to the James 
river. Our troops were disposed as follows at this junc- 
ture : Richardson, with his own division and two brigades 
of Sedgwick's, with the bulk of Sumner's artillery, were 
engaged together in watching the bridge. McCalPs corps 
was the nearest to the enemy by the by-road on our right 
flank as we marched towards the James river. Burns' 
Brigade was detailed to guard a ^^ortion of the supply 
train, which we now had overtaken; and Hooker's division 
formed our left wing, on a road almost parallel to them, by 
which McCall's and Burns' were advancing; and the ene- 
my, after engaging us in the rear and on the left flank, 
suddenly and unexpectedly appeared in front of General 
McCall's forces. This Avas a disastrous beginning to the 
battle, but the sequel proved that " all's well that ends well." 
General Burns, seeing the danger, ordered over the 69th 
Pennsylvania to check the progress of the enemy, who 
were chasing our flying troops — artillery, infantry, and cav- 
alry, all mixed in indiscriminate confusion — across an open 
field in the direction of Richardson's forces. At this criti- 
cal time and place, the 69th Pennsylvania, under Colonel 
Owens, charged bayonets on the enemy's flank, which 
checked their headlong impetuosity. Astonished at the 
attack, they turned to fight this new foe. A fierce strug- 
gle ensued, lasting for some time, with variable results ; but, 
finally, the 69th drove them beyond a hill across the road. 



158 LEAVES FROM THE 

which they occupied and held. While this was going on, 
the engagement became general along the whole line. 
Sedgwick's and Richardson's divisions drove the enemy 
back. General Hooker, at the head of his division, now 
came up, and seeing Colonel Owens, of the 69th, sharply 
asked him, "Where is your regiment, sir?" "On that 
hi]]," proudly returned Owens, pointing to where his regi- 
ment was drawn up in the form of an arc around the crest 
of the hill. " Well and nobly done," said Hooker, and 
rode away. On the left, Keyes' corps was desperately as- 
saulted, while the fury of the rebel attack on our front was 
unabated. Trap after trap was set for the enemy, and our 
men literally mowed them down so that their wounded and 
ours lay in heaps together on the ground. The 2d and 
34th New York regiments lost terribly, but did good ser- 
vice. The 42d New York also fought well, and lost their 
lieutenant-colonel, Mooney. The 1st California and 19th 
Massachusetts were placed in the space occupied by the 
broken regiments, and, w^ith one of the most destructive 
fires ever heard, repelled the enemy after a long-contested 
and often doubtful struggle. Thus Sedgwick's division at 
all points drove them off, yet could not retake the guns 
we had lost. But at another point of the line some of the 
enemy's guns were captured, his columns driven aw^ay front 
and rear, and he found there was no possibility of uniting his 
forces, so long as we chose to prevent it, and hastened to 
protect one of his wings, in danger of being cut off by us. 
Night came to the rescue. Our object was not to pursue 
them ; so that, after a short chase, they were allowed to 
retire unmolested from the field. Next morning at one 
o'clock our rear-guard reached Turkey Grove, on tlie 
James river. The loss to the enemy by his frequent at- 
tacks on us during our weary march and in the engage- 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SURGEON". 159 

ments provoked, was not less than 3,500 killed and wound- 
ed. Our own loss was nearly as heavy. When the battle 
of the 30th was over, we all expected an attack from tlie 
enemy along our whole line, as their best hope lay in over- 
whelming us before reinforcements could arrive. At this 
critical time McClellan rode through the ranks, inspiring 
confidence among the men, assuring them he had now got 
the enemy in the position he wanted to have them. Tliey 
had played the old game of masked batteries whenever 
possible during the retreat of our columns. Their loss in 
the whole pursuit must have exceeded 20,000 up to the 
evening of the 30th June. Ours was not so heavy, though 
terribly severe, for many hundreds of stragglers fell into 
their hands. 

The position taken up at Turkey Grove, near the James 
river, by our forces, was a promontory of high land formed 
by a bend in the river nearly opposite City Point. 
It was naturally strong; and in addition to this, our 
left wing was well guarded by the gunboats. All that was 
left of the brave army of the Potomac, was drawn up in 
line of battle on the promontory this Tuesday morning, 
July the 1st. Contrary to expectation, the enemy remained 
quiet during the previous night, thus admitting the se- 
verity of the conflict on the afternoon before. At day- 
light we were formed in a circular line, our left flank 
on the river, our right well protected by the gunboats, the 
reserve corps in such a position that the whole had the 
appearance of a half moon : the front of the line in some 
places was three miles distant from the river. The rebels 
were drawn up about a mile and a half beyond ; and the 
sheen of their bayonets, glistening gayly in the morning 
sun, could be seen extending for mile upon mile : their 
wavinof banners showed where the lone line rose over the 



IGO LEAVES FKOM THE 

wooded liill, or sunk in the slopes of the rich valleys. The 
picture was sublime beyond conception, and fully showed 
the proud pomp of war. Sumner's corps, which uj) to nine 
o'clock had been engaged in covering the retreat, now fell 
into its original position in the line ; and when it had done so, 
the enemy again assumed the offensive. Their cannonade 
lasted an hour, but did us little damage, as their shells 
either fell short or failed to explode. Om* men were suf- 
fering for want of rations, and in fact every necessary. 
During the day there was a good deal of skirmishing along 
the line. At Sumner's corps the cannonade was revived at 
intervals until nightfall. The enemy had planted a battery 
on the left of his position, from which Sumner's force suf- 
fered considerably. General McClellan decided on its 
capture. It was planted on the margin of a wood, about 
half a mile from our principal line of battle. Between five 
and six. General Sumner ordered a battery of the 4th Uni- 
ted States artillery, the Irish Bi'igade, supported by the 
69th Pennsylvania Volunteers, the 29th Massachusetts, 
and a couple of other regiments, to take up a position near 
to and capture that battery. The rebel leader Jackson's 
eagle eye quickly discovered the movement, and he deter- 
mined to prevent it, and sent forward ten thousand men, 
marching at support-arms, in columns of brigades. This 
was done to deceive us as to their object. But no sooner 
had they debouched from the woods which lay between 
their position and ours than they broke to the right 
and left, and opened on our men a deadly fire of shell, 
gi-ape, shrapnel, and canister. The 69th Pennsylvania was 
the first to open fire and engage them. Such was the na- 
ture of the ground, that but one of our regiments at a 
time could oppose them. The rebel front was twice the 
extent of ours. The 69th, after a sanguinary struggle, were 



DIARY OF AN AKMT. SURGEON. 161 

compelled to fall back towards the right, where they sub- 
sequently did good service on the flank of the enemy. 
Tlie 69th New York replaced them, with Meagher riding 
at their head, bi-andishing his sword, and their colonel 
(ISTngent) commanded them to charge the enemy with the 
bayonet. While these movements were going on, a fresh 
body of rebel troops suddenly appeared on the left flank 
of this regiment, and fired two volleys into their ranks at 
twenty paces, which annihilated the two left companies of 
the battalion; every officer of these companies fell dead or 
wounded, and but ten men escaped. This, however, did 
not prevent the bayonet charge, and the 88th, under Major 
Quinlan, coming up, repaid fully the death-blows dealt to 
the 69th regiment, making a desperate charge with the 
bayonet. They were with difficulty prevented b}^ their offi- 

i cers from rushing on the enemy's batteries, which would 
have resulted in their destruction. The 63d New York of 

I the Irish Brigade, under Col. John Burke, and the 29th Mas- 
sachusetts, under Col. Pierce, now arrived ; the latter here 
fully retrieved his reputation from the cloud thrown over it 

j at Big Bethel, and a general charge bayonets along the line 

I followed, producing an instantaneous and complete rout of 
the enemy, with a loss of 1500 — one half of them were killed 
in the pursuit and in the incessant and ineffectual attempts 
to rally. Our boys cheered loudly as they followed up the 
enemy, ^nd paid them severely for their temerity wherever 
they attempted to re-form. We captured two guns, and a 
number of prisoners ; but our loss was terribly heavy : over 
1200, ii\ killed and wounded, fell in this bloody conflict. 
The officers and men behaved nobly. Meagher was con- 
spicuous in the fight ; and Captain McCoy, of his staflT, had 
his horse shot under him by a round-shot. As night set in 
the rebels fell back, to attack us no more. They had failed 



162 LEAVES FROM THE 

in their efforts to torn onr left, and had received a severe 
blow, under which they reeled back to their position. Qui- 
etness reigned in our canip that night : the dead were 
being buried in silence, and the wounded cared for in the 
temporary hospitals, as well as our limited supplies and cir- 
cumstances would permit. The surgeons worked all night, 
and the gray morning broke on our labors. The wounds 
were chiefly from minie-balls, and fragments of shell. 
Numbers were wounded in several places, and in their 
prostrated condition were unable to undergo the necessary 
operations until recruited by rest and nourishment. 

The enemy, finding our position impregnable, and our 
troops prepared to defend it, at once determined on a 
change of tactics, and commenced the erection of a fort on 
the opposite bank of the river, from which he could bom- 
bard our camp in the rear. General McClellan came to 
the determination of foiling him in this, as he had already 
done in all his designs. For this purpose he had the bag- 
gage ordered to a point down the river, called Harrison's 
Landing, where the stream is so wide that a battery on the 
opposite bank could receive more damage from the gun- 
boats than it could inflict upon us at such a distance. This 
point is about seven miles below Turkey Grove. The bag- 
gage and heavy artillery commenced moving early on 
Tuesday afternoon ; and at two, a. m., the rear-guard, con- 
sisting of Sumner's corps, commenced its march without 
molestation from the enemy. The rain had now begun to 
pour down. The roads were getting in a bad condition. 
This made the movement slow, but as we were^ on ^he best 
road, the enemy, in following us up, were unable to move 
even as fast as our train. The rain was on Wednesday 
followed by a thick fog, through which the enemy's videttes 
were visible. Some sliglit skirmishing took place between 



DIARY OF AN AKMY SURGEON. 163 

his cavalry and ours, and the gunboat Galena threw a few 
shells among their ranks, which dispersed them, and for 
the night all was quiet; nor have the enemy made any 
signs of attacking us to-day, doubtless having heard of our 
reinforcements. All the prisoners taken by our men were 
intoxicated, and most of them had their canteens partially 
filled with bad whiskey. They say their losses, since the 
retreat to the James river commenced, amount to 30,000, 
our artillery having made sad havoc in their ranks, and 
that the firing of the gunboats was very accurate and de- 
structive. They boast of taking General McCall prisoner 
when he was wounded, and speak of him as a skilful gen- 
eral. The rebels are, in their present position, far removed 
from their base of operations and supplies — their commu- 
nication is difficult ; while we are on the bank of James 
river, on which float our supplies, and able allies — the gun- 
boats. These are some of the advantages gained hyt- aban- 
doning the Chickahominy intrenchments, and the White 
House as a depot. But the change has cost us terribly ; 
and but for the valor and endurance of the men, the pa- 
tience and promptitude of the officers, and the ability of the 
commanding general, the Army of the Potomac would 
have been annihilated by our indefatigable foe. As it is, 
our men are in good spirits and discipline, though much 
fatigued by the hardships of the retreat and battles of the 
past days. Their confidence in General McClellan is un- 
shaken ; this has borne them along, and encouraged them 
to surmount every trial, difficulty, and danger. Their for- 
titude, when foot-sore and weary, when suffering for water 
and from intense heat, want of sleep and rations, and, in 
short, when undei-going every privation, never forsook 
them; and their reliance was increased when they saw^ 
the foresight of General McClellan in providing so large 



16:1: LEAVES FROM THE 

a park of artillery, and proceeding so cautiously against the 
rebels. It was a shield and a safeguard to the retreating 
army at every step, and a terror to the enemy, who had to 
sacrifice their best and bravest troops in capturing one 
masked battery after another. We lost 25 of our guns, 
w^hich must have been a rich prize to the rebels, as they 
stood in need of such war material. The wonder is, that 
with such a force, such an immense train, and during such 
a retreat, our loss was not even greater than it is. Had 
General McClellan received 50,000, or even 30,000 fresh 
troops, we would have w^hipped the rebels, and to-day, in- 
stead of bivouacking on the James river, would, in all 
probability, be resting in the hotels of Richmond. 



DIAEY OF AN AKMT SUKGEOK. 165 



CHAPTER XV. 

INCIDENTS OF THE SEVEN DAYS' FIGHT. 

Colonel Woodbuey, of the 4tli Michigan, fell at 
the head of his regiment, as he was cheering his men on; 
his command has been terribly cut up, having had fifty- 
three killed, and one hundred and fifty-eight wounded, 
besides thirty-three missing. Among the oificers killed 
was Captain Rose, whom General McClellan complimented 
so highly at New Bridge. He was formerly principal of 
an academy, and eleven of his pupils, who were in his com- 
pany, are either killed or wounded. Captain Pie, was also 
killed; he was a great favorite with his men. Captain 
Spalding and Adjutant Earle are wounded. The 9th Mas- 
sachusetts has suffered the severest loss of any regiment in 
its division, amounting to one half the regiment. Colonel 
Cass, their leader, was wounded in the head, and for day^ 
we feared he would die. He is, however improving ; he 
was on the sick-list when we went into action, but refused 
to allow any one to lead his boys but himself. Tlie 62d 
Pennsylvania, of this brigade, also suffered heavily, and 
others of General Griffin's command. General Daniel 
Butterfield, of New York, behaved with great gallantry. 
He risked his life repeatedly ; he rode close upon the ene- 
my, and planted the colors of the 44th New York with his 
own hands. It had been twice stricken down ; while doing 
so, two balls passed through his hat ; one of his aids, young 
Fisher, of New York, ^vas killed by a minie-ball while 



1G6 LEAVES FllOM TUK 

riding beside liim. His brigade suffered terribly, and lost 
a third of its number. Colonels Stockton and McLean were 
both wounded. I learn that Prince de Joinville has to- 
day presented General Butterfield with his horse, m token 
of his admiration for the general's bravery. The prince, 
with the other French nobles on McClellan's staff, leave to- 
day for Europe. It is said they mtend to return, but this is 
doubtful. 

General Martindale's Brigade has also lost heavily. In 
fact all Morrell's division has been badly cut up. They did 
some of the hardest fighting. Captain Achmuty and Lieu- 
tenant Williams, of General Morrell's staff, had eacli a 
Jiorse shot under him. Great praise is given to Lieutenant 
Batchelder for his defence of the ammunition-train, of which 
he had command ; and which, but for liis coolness and 
bravery, would have fallen into the enemy's hands. I have 
just had an interview with Professor Lowe, the aeronaut, 
who witnessed the battle of Friday from his balloon. He 
describes the evolutions of the battalions, the charges of 
the cavalry and infantry, the flashing of the artillery, and 
the carnage of the fight, as truly grand. He says the 
rebels also sent up a balloon, and that he and the occupant 
of the rebel balloon for some time viewed each other 
through their telescopes. The distance was too great to 
permit him to distinguish one division from another, but 
he could plainly discern the blue uniform of the Union 
troops from the butternut and many- colored clothing of the 
rebels. This enabled him to judge of the relative firmness 
and endurance of the contending forces; and he speaks 
highly of the rebels, for their unflinching bravery and ob- 
stinate resistance, which were at length overcome by our 
men. The information he gained by the ascent was of 
great importance to General McClcllan in the disposition of 



DIARY OF AN AKMY SURGEON. 167 

his forces and the strengtlieiiing of our weakest points at the 
proper time. 

Wounded fr 07)1 the Battle before Richmond. 

A remarkable feature of the wounded I have received 
on board the transports from the seven days' fight is, that 
ahuost all of them are wounded in the hmbs, principally in 
the left thigh. The number w^ounded in the head, abdo- 
men, or side, is very few. One, Colonel Pratt, of the 31st 
New York, was wounded by a minie-ball in the left cheek, 
in Friday's battle. The ball entered the left cheek between 
the gum and upper jaw, passed through the nose, and 
lodged in the right cheek or malar-bone. He has gone to 
liis home in Brooklyn, where he w^ill have it extracted, as 
there was no pressing necessity for its being done here, 
and he was anxious to get to his home and family. An- 
other poor fellow, named Sharp, of the 2d United States 
Infantry, was struck in the abdomen with a piece of shell, 
which lacerated the muscles and fractured the floating ribs 
on the left side. The wound left by the missile was the 
most jagged and extensive I have seen : the intestines, liav- 
ing lost their support, protruded. After returning them, 
and other proper surgical care, he is doing well, and, not- 
withstanding the extent of the wound, will probably re- 
cover. Lieutenant Freeman, of the same regiment, had 
his arm shattered, but it will be saved. 

We disj^atched, yesterday, the Vanderbilt and Louisiana 
to Washington with nearly 1300 wounded. Many of them 
are able to walk, having been but slightly wounded in the 
upper extremities, and some were sick. To-day we sent off 
the Arrowsmith with 700 w^ounded, the Elm City with 
300 ; many on board of this vessel were very badly 
injured. We are now loading the steamer John Brooks, 



168 LEAVES FKOM THE 

and will put 400 on her. A great many officers, some of 
them badly wounded, will go in her. The Kennebec and 
State of Maine will follow to-night, and will take nearly 
600 more ; many of them are but slightly wounded, and a 
large number are sick. 

A number of prisoners will be sent down to-day to 
Fortress Monroe from this place. Among them are fifty- 
three officers. The men are fine-looking fellows, but misera- 
bly clothed, and terribly dirty. The Commodore took- 
down nearly 500, mostly wounded, few very bad cases. 
This is a terrible scene, eclipsing that of the White House ; 
but there is more assistance and less confusion, and the ac- 
commodations are more extensive than there. 

As I before stated, when the order w^as given to aban- 
don our old camp on the Chickahominy, the sick who were 
able were told to walk to the James river. Many of them 
gladly desired to do so who were unequal to the task, but 
as transportation had to be provided for a large number, 
they were not prevented. On being furnished plenti- 
fully with cooked rations, coflfee, etc., ofi" they started, a 
long and straggling line, on Saturday evening ; some 
on crutches, some had canes. Most of them reached the 
James river Monday night, and bivouacked near EjDping 
Island, in a beautiful, shady grove on the river's bank, 
where they received such attentions as Ave could bestow. 
On Monday morning they were sent to Harrison's Island, 
but soon after they started it began to rain in torrents, 
Avhich so cut up the soft, clayey road, that it took them 
many hours to get there. Their suffering during the jour- 
ney was very great, but unavoidable. On arriving, there 
was not any accommodations for them ; but some of them 
soon erected shelter on the law^n in front of the Harrison 
mansion, and as I heard there was about a dozen wall-tents 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 169 

at hand, I got possession of them, and had them erected. In 
them all that could crowd took shelter ; and on the lawn, the 
poor, weary fellows, with their blankets wrapped around 
them, lay down in the rain, and soon forgot, in sleep, the 
sorrow, privations, and dangers of the past week. We took 
230ssession of the dwelling-house for a hospital. As fast as 
each case was attended to, we sent them on the steamers. 
ISTourishment was, with great difficulty, procured for them, 
but, after some delay, I had coffee and soup prejDared 
for them ; and in distributing it, the Rev. Mr. Fuller, chap- 
lain of the 16th Massachusetts, was most efficient. He 
worked with untiring energy, and appeased the cravings 
of many a poor fellow who for days had not tasted any 
thing but hard crackers and muddy water, which he could 
not at all times procure. We hope by to-morrow to 
have matters in better preparation; but our labors are 
very onerous, and bi^t few of the surgeons have as yet had 
any rest, and little, if any, food. 

8 



170 LEAVES FROM THE 



CHAPTER XVI. 

VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE ARMY. 

I STARTED yesterday for Fortress Monroe on the steamer 
John Brooks, with nearly four hundred wounded. It was 
not my intention to proceed further than the fort. My 
vdsit was for the j^urpose of obtaining supphes, and making 
other necessary arrangements. I found, this morning, that 
many of the hangers-on and sutlers, who have thronged the 
White House and Harrison's Landing, are about leaving for 
the North ; it appears that General Dix, having had re- 
peated complaints made to him of the frauds committed on 
the soldiers by the Jews and sutlers, has issued an order 
that they at once leave the fort. Yesterday Lieutenant 
Duval, of General Dix's staff, notified 200 of them that 
they should depart wdthin twenty-four hours. All last 
night and this morning they have been on the move ; the 
order is a just one, although it will bear heavily on some 
honest men, who have invested all their capital in the pur- 
chase of goods that are much needed by the soldiers and 
cannot be got elsewhere, for which they have charged a 
fair price, considering the cost of bringing the goods to 
this point ; but others have been robbing the. poor fellows 
by selling them worthless trash at enormous prices. I 
found that the steamer State of Maine, which I dispatched 
two days ago from Harrison's Landing, and which I hoped 
was now safe in New York or New Llaven, has returned 
here, having broken her shaft. On going on board of her 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SUKGEON. 171 

I found the wounded doing well, but sadly disappointed at 
the delay in reaching their friends. 

To-day (Tuesday) the President arrived here (Fortress 
Monroe). As I start back for Harrison's Landing he is 
going ashore to hold an interview with General Burn- 
side, who is at the fort, — his division being on its way 
to reinforce General McClellan, but has been, as I am in- 
formed, countermanded. Yesterday the flag-of-truce boat 
which was sent up the York River on the '7th inst. returned ; 
at Cumberland 105 sick and w^ounded of our boys were 
found and taken on board, the rebels consenting to their 
surrender, but afterwards changed their minds and obliged 
them to be brought back. They were terribly disappointed. 
They w^ere under the care of Dr. Daniel Wersel, TJ. S. A. 
On my arrival at Harrison's Landing I learned that the 
refusal to give up the w^ounded at Cumberland, by the 
rebels, was owing to some mistake, and that another vessel 
will at once be sent for them. A grand review of all the 
troops is about taking place. The President, who has 
arrived from Fortress Monroe, is now in consultation 
with General McClellan, and the line will be formed at 6 
p. M. It wall necessarily be quite late before the review is 
over, as the line extends several miles ; but it is moonlight, 
and this will afford the men an opportunity to see Presi- 
dent Lincoln, of whom they have heard so much, even 
from the rebels, whose pickets daily taunt them with repeat- 
ing the opprobrious names they have given the President. 

Statements of Rebel Prisoners at Harrison'' s Landing. 

On conversing, to-day, with some of the w^ounded rebels, 
I learned that the wounded we had been obliged to aban- 
don, but whom we left in charge of surgeons, had been 



172 LEAVES FKOM THE 

A^^ell taken care of by the enemy, who had treated them 
and the surgeons with great kindness. This is doubtless the 
effect of our good treatment to their wounded. The pris- 
onei's who arrived yesterday are being sent down the 
river to-day : there are many officers among them ; I had 
some conversation with a colonel and a captain. They are 
gentlemen of education and refinement, and have been in 
the habit of making annual visits to the Northern cities, 
especially Baltimore and Philadelphia, where they are well 
known : they made the following statement, with every ap- 
pearance of candor, and it seems worthy of credit. Before 
the evacuation of Corinth portions of Beauregard's army 
began to arrive in Richmond, and continued to do so until 
that event took place, by which time nearly 50,000 had 
arrived, and that, subsequent to the evacuation, half as 
many more arrived ; that these 75,000 troops are the 
flower of Beauregard's army, the best of the old army of 
Manassas, and that, as a general thing, they have not been 
engaged in the late battles, nor in the pursuit of our army 
on its retreat, but are held in reserve ; that the whole 
number of troops around Richmond amounts to 200,000 ; 
that General Lee has the chief command. Generals Beau- 
regard, Jackson, and Joe Johnston, before receiving his 
wound at Fair Oaks, had the command of the corps d^ar- 
mee under him. They speak of the report of Stonewall 
Jackson's death as if it were a ruse^ and say that he will 
soon again turn up at some unexpected point. From what 
these ofiicers say, I infer that the eight forts of earth-works 
north of Richmond, two or three miles from the city, are 
not very strong, nor are they mounted with heavy guns. 
They mainly rely on Fort Darling to defend the city, the 
obstructions and subaqueous batteries in the James river 
and on the fighting of their troops. They are greatly 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON-. 173 

elated at our reverses before Richmond and Charleston, 
which they attribute more to the fighting quality than the 
number of their troops, but say they have plenty of re- 
serves, and can place fresh men in any battle when those 
first engaged become weary. 

They say it is utterly impossible for the Union army to 
take Richmond by land or water. By land, on account ot 
the number and quality of their troops ; and by water, on 
account of the defences of the James-river. Of these. Fort 
Darling is but one, for besides it they have erected three 
iron batteries, mounted with heavy guns, and casemated 
for the protection of the gunners. That there are also sul> 
merged iron batteries, each containing five tons of gun- 
powder, connected with the land batteries by wires, and 
so arranged as to explode- at any desired moment. 

With regard to the obstructions in the river, they are 
such, that although it is possible to remove them, yet it 
will require such a vast amount of labor, and so much 
time, that it never can be done under the fire of the bat- 
teries, and no vessels can pass while they remain. During 
the whole of the seven days' contest our troops fought 
bravely, and drove the enemy back at many points : this 
was, they said, noticeable when General Heintzelman 
charged with his whole division. Yet in spite of this the 
general result is in their favor. The Chickahominy was no 
barrier to their pursuit of our wearied and decimated 
columns. General Woodbury's Engineer Corps remained 
behind till the last moment, destroying and blowing up the 
bridges. But the enemy has also engineers to reconstruct 
bridges ; and from their intimate knowledge of the topog- 
raphy of the country, had a decided advantage over us, as 
they knew the position of many fords ; so that w^hile a por- 
tion of their army crossed on the bridges they rebuilt, 



174 LEAVES FEOM THE 

Others crossed at these fords. Thus they kept close on our 
rear. Our engineers obstructed all the roads through the 
White Oak Swamp so effectually, that they saved the 
Union army by delaying the advance of the enemy ; but 
they toiled day and night to remove these obstructions, 
and found new paths, by which some of them were avoid- 
ed. By Tuesday night they had cleared their way so that 
they could advance across the swamp in any number they 
pleased; but at that time our troops had reached the 
James river, and were comparatively safe. We are now 
encamped for five miles along its left bank. The rebels 
are in our rear, between us and the Chickahominy, their 
right resting on Richmond, where the main body of their 
army remains. Their left extends to the junction of the 
two rivers. If they had recovered from their fatigue they 
would attack us before they knew of our being reinforced ; 
but the labor of the seven days' fight has told as heavily 
on them as it has on our men. Doubtless, before many 
days will have passed, we shall again hear from them. Our 
men are not unwilling, nor at all daunted at the pros- 
pect, though the enemy has two to our one. Yet our po- 
sition is strong, our artillery well posted, and our able aux- 
iliaries, the gunboats, prepared to meet them, but we look 
daily for reinforcements. 



DIAEY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 1Y5 



CHAPTER XYII. 

SECOND BATTLE OF MALYERN HILL. 

On Saturday last, an expedition under General Hooker 
set out for the purpose of recapturing Malvern Hill, where 
our troops fought so well, but lost so many, and the posi- 
tion. For some reason they returned without any engage- 
ment, but started again yesterday evening for the same 
purpose. The column was not all on the road until the 
moon had risen, which threw a flood of light on the men's 
brilliant bayonets through each opening in the woods. 
The roads were in good order ; the artillery train went 
smoothly on, making but little noise. Precautions were 
taken not to give alarm to the enemy's pickets, one of 
whom was arrested on the road. Guards w^ere stationed 
around each dwelling-house they passed, to prevent the in- 
mates giving the alarm to the enemy, whose camp was 
near. Our men having reached the place determined on 
to halt for the night, pickets were thrown out with the 
greatest quietude and caution, so as to prevent the enemy 
from being aware of our proximity. These precautions 
would have succeeded, but that some newly-fledged briga- 
dier, to show his authority, gave the order to his brigade 
to halt, in a voice that could be heard for miles. It was 
heard by the enemy's pickets at 12 o'clock, and reinforce- 
ments were sent for. Our men bivouacked on the Quaker 
Church road, in the rear of the battle-ground at Glendale. 
Grover's Brigade was in the advance: their pickets saw 



176 LEAVES FROM THE 

none of the enemy, but three, who, on seeing the 2d New 
Hampshire, disappeared. At daylight the cohimn moved, 
and passed through Nelson's farm, by the old battle-ground, 
and n$ar the church, which on a former occasion had been 
riddled with shot and shell, and its pews torn up to make 
amputating tables. At half-past five the column reached 
Malvern Hill. The sky was clouded, the atmosphere damp 
and heavy, and not a breeze moved the leaves. The cav- 
airy and artillery led the column into the field through the 
wooded gorge, in front of the hill occupied by General 
Hooker and his staff, who at once took a position, by post- 
ing his artillery and ordering the cavalry to the attack. 
The enemy had a battery in position on the right of the 
brick house which stands on the bluff towards the James 
river ; — this was Stribling's Fauquier battery. The 8th and 
lYth Georgia regiments, and two cavalry regiments, were 
also on the field. Orders were given to the 8th Illinois 
cavalry to charge on the Fauquier battery, which received 
them with a storm of grape and canister that drove them 
back. It then fired shell and case-shot on the road leading 
to the Quaker church, to which Benson's artillery replied. 
The morning, as stated, was calm and cloudy, but the ene- 
my, with great accuracy, continued to shell the road on 
which our troops were advancing. Grover's Brigade led 
the infantry, and stood the fire unflinchingly. The other 
brigades followed in good order. The men, by dropping 
down as a shell was heard, escaped unhurt, with the excep- 
tion of two killed and fifteen wounded. Thus they march- 
ed upon the field and took their position. The smoke be- 
came so dense, from the absence of any wind, that General 
Hooker ordered the artillery to slacken their fire, and soon 
discovered that the rebels were retreating along the road 
that leads to Richmond, on the bank of the river. Gen- 



DIARY OF AN AKMT SUKGEON. 177 

eral Pleasanton, with cavalry and artillery, charged on 
them. They formed in line of battle to receive as they 
supposed, nothing but a cavalry charge, but a couple of 
rounds from the batteries undeceived them, when they 
again retreated, closely followed by our cavalry, which cut 
up their rear-guard and took fifty prisoners. Thus ended 
the second battle of Malvern Hill. The enemy were not 
prepared for us, and not receiving the expected reinforce- 
ments, retreated towards the river, where it would be un- 
wise to pursue them, as a strong force was posted further 
up, near Richmond. We took over 100 prisoners. Lieu- 
tenant Hubbard captured ten prisoners and two horses. 
We lost Lieutenant-colonel Gamble, of the 8th lUinois cav- 
alry, who was shot through the lung. Captain Benson lost 
a leg by the explosion of a shell near the muzzle of one of 
his guns. Before our men were all quietly settled down, 
General McClellan arrived, and, in company with General 
Hooker, rode over the field. It is reported that our troops 
will occupy this place permanently, but I think we will all 
soon leave the Peninsula. This opinion is based on the re- 
fusal to reinforce us, as our present force is inadequate for 
the capture of Richmond, and daily growing smaller by 
sickness. 

8* 



178 LEAVES FROM THE 



CHAPTER XYIII. 

INCIDENTS AT HAERISON'S LANDING. 

Foe the last two clays we have been occupied in sending 
off the sick and wounded, as soon as they were able to be 
moved, and we could procure steamers for the purpose. 
Every thing is unusually quiet since the enemy shelled 
our camp, from the opposite bank of the river, at night. 
I had a conversation to-day with a gentleman who has just 
returned from Richmond. He remained with our wounded 
at Savage's station, on the retreat of the Union army. He 
describes the scene as truly awful. The confusion and 
want of accommodation, caused by the retreat of the army, 
added to the sufferings of the wounded. It was many 
hours before they could secure a cot, shelter, or blanket, to 
lie down on. The dwelling-houses and negro-quarters 
were filled to overflowing. A few tents, and improvised 
coverings of boards and branches, were all the shelter that 
could be obtained. The surgeons were without instru- 
ments, bandages, stimulants, or the necessary appliances. 
The w^ounded from the battle of Peach Orchard were 
brought to Savage's, and during the battle in the after- 
noon, to the left of Savage's, shells were thrown into 
the hospital by the rebels. A flag of truce was sent 
to them, and a promise obtained to respect the hospital, 
signed by three colonels of the Confederate army. The 
wounded from this battle, which raged until nine or ten 
o'clock at night, were also brought to this hospital. At 



DIAEY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 179 

daylight, next morning, the rebels mounted a guard over 
the hospital, and sent out wagons to collect the wounded 
still left on the field. The burying of the dead, after these 
two battles, continued for three days. On Tuesday morn- 
ing, the barricades and the smouldering ruins of the loco- 
motives and cars burned by our forces having been re- 
moved, the truck-trains were run out from Richmond to 
Savage's station, and the Confederate wounded were ta- 
ken to the city. Detachments of their troops were set to 
pick up the spoils of our camps, — old shoes and clothing. 
They also took our men's haversacks, belts, and even the 
fragments of shells that lay around. The rebel wounded 
were placed in hospitals and private houses. Our wounded 
were not removed until Tuesday week after the battle. In 
the mean time many of them had died of their wounds, and 
were buried near the station. When they Avere transferred 
to Richmond they were not treated as wounded men, but 
as prisoners, and placed in warehouses and prisons, where 
the air, from want of ventilation, was shocking. The reb- 
els did not provide surgeons for them, except one in charge 
of each of the temporary hospitals. These took no means 
to relieve the wounded, save in one case, where a surgeon, 
with a rusty saw, performed* an amputation, from which the 
patient soon died. The Richmond ladies attended to their 
own sick and wounded ; but not one came near our men, 
among whom the mortality is increasing. Our surgeons 
were not kept in prison ; and the gentleman who informed 
me of these facts, being a civilian, was allowed to come 
away to make arrangements for an exchange of prisoners, 
on giving his parole to return in twenty days, unless pre- 
viously exchanged. He came by way of Petersburg to 
City Point. He says the rebels are exultant over our 
recent defeats, but that Richmond and Petersburg are 



180 LEAVES FKOM illE 

filled with mourning for their relatives lost in the late bat- 
tles. General Dix has arranged the exchange, which has 
commenced. Two hundred and fifty of the Union prisoners 
have been sent to the White House for this purpose. Gen- 
erals McCall and Reynolds are in one of the prisons at Rich- 
mond which is used for officers. These officers and the 
wounded receive rations of bread and meat twice a day. 
The officers have bunks, but the sick lie on the floors 
of the warehouse, which has not been cleaned since last 
occupied as a- prison. Until a day or two before he left, 
many lay in the same clothes they were taken from the 
battle-field. Before leaving, some of them had received 
clean drawers and coverlids. Their old clothing was col- 
lected, to be sent to a woollen mill, to be manufactured into 
clothing for the rebel soldiers. There are in prison, at 
Richmond, over a dozen sutlers of our army, many of 
whom have agreed to pay large sums for their release, if 
not exchanged. From some of these the rebels have 
received full particulars of our strength. Many of them 
are Jews : the rebels have made agreements with them to 
commence running the blockade, with contraband articles 
most needed in Richmond, on their return within our lines. 
The steamer Louisiana was sent yesterday up the river 
to receive the sick and wounded Union prisoners who have 
been exchanged. She passed down the river to-day with 
a joyful load. These are the wounded taken at Savage's 
station. General Dix made the request for their release. 
They are on their way to Baltimore. Major Glitz, of the 
r2th Regulars, and Colonel Charles of the New York 
Tammany regiment, both of whom were reported as killed, 
are on board and are doing well. They give a much 
better account of the treatment they received than we 
received before. They say that, excepting the food, they 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 181 

were well cared for, and the rebels gave them the best 
food they had. All is quiet here. It is expected that 
"? General Beauregard, with 30,000 men, has taken j^osses- 
sion of the south bank of the river down to City Point. 
This may cause a renewal of the firing on our steamers 
passing down the river. For the last week they have not 
been molested, and since the Juniarta was fired into, but 
little injury has been done to any of them. We are busily 
engaged to-day, endeavoring to have the abuses existing 
on the Baltimore boat from Fortress Monroe remedied. 
Many of the sick sent down from here, who were able to 
go home on furloughs, and others discharged from the 
Old Point hospitals, have been kept lying on the floor of 
the boat and wharf, before they could procure berths. The 
consequence has been, in many cases, a relapse of their 
illness. These complaints have come from Baltimore, and 
I hope in future it will be prevented. The provost-marshal 
to-day seized a quantity of percussion caps at the express- 
office. 

Matters and things here wear the usual quiet appear- 
ance. There has not anything happened to break the mo- 
notony of drills, parades, &c., excepting the visit of Gen. 
Halleck to head-quarters. Some say we are going to make 
an advance on Richmond as soon as all our reinforcements 
arrive, and that Gen. Halleck's visit to Gen. McClellan was 
to decide on the number of troops he requires to secure 
the capture of the city. Others say we are about aban- 
doning the Peninsula, and that Gen. Halleck refused to 
give Gen. McClellan any further reinforcements. Deaths in 
the hospitals are daily occurring. The weather is intense- 
ly hot. The fatigue parties are digging wells, but meet 
with but poor success. Pur supply of water is miserable 
A terrible row took place last night on board the Adams' 



182 LEAVES FKOM THE 

Express Company's barge. The negroes employed by tlie 
Company, in the absence of the agent, Mr. Montgomery, 
getting intoxicated had a row, which broke the stillness of 
the night. Quite a number of absentees are daily return- 
ino; to their res^iment. This looks as if some chans^e was 
near at hand. The surgeon of the 1st U. S. Sharp-shooters 
having died in the Richmond hospital, the account of his 
death and a eulogy was read last evening to the regiment. 
Dr. Marshall was an excellent surgeon and a favorite with 
his regiment. The occasion was peculiarly affecting : as the 
men, drawn up in a hollow square, heard of his death, their 
emotion was quite evident. 

The thunder-storm of last week here, has given us some 
cool and refreshing weather. The army are daily engaged 
with reviews. The regimental bands are being mustered 
out of service, and in future but one will be allowed to a 
brigade. This, I am convinced, is mistaken economy, 
as the men fight much better with music, and remain in 
camp more satisfied if there is a band. Besides this, the 
band-men, if properly trained, carry the wounded to the 
rear, thus avoiding the necessity of reducing the ranks 
when most needed. The regiments most decimated are 
being filled up with recruits but slowly. Yesterday a cav- 
alry picket was sent out in the direction of Richmond, and 
met the enemy's cavalry with an artillery escort. This 
was looked on as a sure forerunner of an attack, but as yet 
" all is quiet." General Marcy and General Butterfield re- 
turned to their duty to-day, and were (especially the latter) 
heartily welcomed by the men of their brigades. I see with 
satisfaction that our frequent requests for vegetables for the 
men has at last been heeded : a large cargo arrived to-day, 
and will be at once distributeti te the commissaries. This 
change of diet will check the alarming spread of scurvy, 



DIAKY OF AN AEMY SURGEON. 183 

and give great satisfaction to the men. A large force was 
sent across the river yesterday, to cut down the trees that 
gave shelter to the rebels during their midnight attack 
on us. 

The firing on the mail-boats by the rebels, and the 
means taken to prevent it, have been the only topics here 
for a week. The list of sick is daily diminishing under 
the improved vegetable diet. One of the gunboats ran 
aground above City Point yesterday, and as yet is not got 
off, but it is expected that by to-morrow she will again be 
afloat. At twelve o'clock, last night. General Hooker's 
division fell back to its old encampment, leaving a strong 
guard at Haxall's ; on perceiving which the rebels advanced 
by three roads from Richmond, under the impression that 
our forces were marching on the city, but on driving in 
our pickets for a mile or so, they discovered we had no 
such intentions, and fell back. While at Malvern Hill one 
or two of the soldiers set fire to an ice-house, the flames and 
smoke from which, on being seen by the enemy, made him 
suppose we were about to evacuate it, and a large force 
advanced by the Newmarket road, but on discovering their 
mistake returned. The remains of Lieutenant-colonel 
O'Conner, of the 81st Pennsylvania Volunteers, were dis- 
covered yesterday, buried near one of the barns used as 
a hospital after the battle at Nelson's farm. His money, 
•compass, &c., were all found in his coat pocket, and were 
taken care of with his remains, which are now being for- 
warded to Pennsylvania. 

Yesterday Gen. Butterfield's Brigade returned to their 
old camp, after having been on duty on the opposite bank 
of the James river. During their short campaign they 
saw but little of the enemy. Part of the time the brigade 
head-quarters were in the Ruflin house. Our ambulance corps 



1S4: LEAVES FKOM THE 

is undergoing reorganization. Eacli division ambulance 
corps will be placed under command of a lieutenant, with a 
detail of ten men from each regiment. These men will be 
distinguished by a green cap-band. This arrangement, if 
properly carried out, will insure prompt attention to the 
wounded, and prevent straggling. On the mail-boat, this 
morning, a large number of officers and sergeants w^ent 
down the river, on their way home for recruiting duty. We 
had an arrival from Richmond this afternoon. A small 
steamer came dowm wdth a flag of truce. On board of her 
are a number of British subjects, leaving Dixie. A Lieu- 
tenant Murphy, of the eVth New York Volunteers, arrived 
to-day, having, in company with three others, made his 
escai)e from Richmond. They were taken prisoners, with 
the other wounded, after the battle of Savage's station, and 
since then have been confined in one of the tobacco ware- 
houses. They give a detailed description of their mode of 
escape — by pulling off a board from the back of the build- 
ing, and getting into an alley-way. They are now with 
General McClellan, describing the Richmond fortifications. 
This morning orders were received to dispatch all the sick 
and wounded down to Fortress Monroe. This will occupy 
us for several days. The regimental, brigade, and division 
surgeons have also received orders to hold a general inspec- 
tion, and to send to us every man unfit for active duty, so that 
they may be forwarded with the others. This indicates som^ 
great change ; and, from the order issued in relation to the 
use of transports by the sick, I have but little doubt the 
whole army is about to evacuate the Peninsula. General 
McClellan has been very active, lately, in visiting the differ- 
ent camps, and their concentration towards the river would, 
if necessary, confirm this opinion. There is much dissatis- 
faction amons: the men at the failure to send reinforce- 



DTART OF AN AEMY SFEGEON. 185 

ments ; and now that the engagements of General Banks' 
and Pope's commands have become known to them, they 
seem very desirous to leave here, as there is not any prospect 
of an attack on Richmond. The weather is becoming 
intensely hot, and the sick suiFer much from the heat. 
Several of the generals commanding divisions and brigades, 
who have been away on leave of absence, have returned to 
their commands. These combined movements will, ere 
long, produce the usual result. The reports from the recruit- 
ins; officers to their commandants are not encourasrino; to the 
men here, nor do the large bounties, now paid to recruits, 
please the troops. They argue that it is an injustice to 
those who have for so long a time borne the fatigue and 
dangers of the campaign. 

Yesterday the news reached camp of the release of Col- 
onel Corcoran, after a year's imprisonment in Richmond. 
The occasion was one of rejoicing in the 69th ISTew York 
regiment ; but they feel that the corps has 23assed through 
many scenes since his capture, which entitles every mem- 
ber to an equal amount of glory. The army, as a whole, is 
in good condition, though there are many who desire to 
return to their homes, and are sick of the war. This morn- 
ing, about 10 o'clock, smoke was seen arising from the vicin- 
ity of City Point. The rebels had set the wharf on fire at 
that place : the smoke increased and soon the whole Avharf 
was in flames. The flag-of-truce boat, wliich usually stops 
at this wharf, was consequently obliged to proceed further 
np the river and may not return to-night. The flames and 
smoke ascending from the fire could be seen for many 
miles. It is said that the gunboats could have prevented 
the desti'uction of the wharf, but feared they might fire on 
the flag-of-truce boat, then momentarily expected. The 
enemy's object in destroying it, is supposed to be to pre- 



186 LEAVES FROM THE 

vent our landing a large force on the other bank of the 
river. While the wharf was on fire, a report arrived that 
the enemy had appeared in force in the woods on the other 
side of the river. Two of the gunboats commenced shell 
ing the woods in that direction, and kept it up for half an 
hour. These have been the only incidents that occurred 
here for many days ; we daily look for the order to leave. 



DIAEY OF AN AEMY SURGEON. 187 



CHAPTEH XIX. 

EVACUATION OF HAERISON'S LANDING. 

Early this morning the long looked-for order has been 
issued, and important movements are now being made : the 
gunboats were all ordered up to cover our march. The 
advance has started for Williamsburg : the rear-guard will 
probably start by midnight. The movement is not received 
with much favor, the bulk of the officers and men think 
that Richmond can be taken now if ever, as Gen. Pope has 
drawn off a large portion of the rebel force hitherto engaged 
in its defence; they also say that the present camping 
ground was gained at a terrible heavy loss to be abandoned 
without cause. For the past week, heavy ordnance and 
loads of ammunition have been shipped down the river. 
To-day the contrabands are being sent down on barges and 
the steamer Illinois. The 93d New York, which was doing 
provost-guard duty here, was sent down on the North 
America. About 10 o'clock, Col. Ingalls' tents and desks 
were sent on board the Long Branch, and he went to Gen. 
McClellan's head-quarters to march overland with the 
army. There has not been any loss but the burning of two 
barges that were worthless : all the stores were safely ship- 
ped. Thus the prolonged encampment of the Union army 
on the pleasant banks of the James river ends. Its future 
destination is not generally known, but we all first proceed 
to Fortress Monroe, where our fleet of transports are now 
lying, to the number of twelve or thirteen hundred. 



188 LEAVES FKOM THE 



March to Yorhtovm. 



By Wednesday night all requisite arrangements were 
completed, and the army ready to march at short notice, 
at any time. Nearly all the sick had been embarked, and 
the rest could be disposed of in an hour's time. In the 
afternoon, it became known that General McClellan had 
gone down the river for some purpose connected with 
the anxiously expected movement; it was reported, and 
generally believed, that upon his return marching orders 
would be issued, and the line of march to be taken would 
be indicated, and the suspense relieved. The uncertainty 
which existed as to our destination was rather annoying to 
us who had to make the journey, as it might be, in the 
dark, not knowing what enemies we were to meet, or what 
battles had to be fought before we were extricated from 
our unpleasant situation. The weather continued to be 
quite cool and comfortable, and much better for marching 
than any which had prevailed for two or three weeks pre- 
viously. Thursday morning was pleasant and comfortable, 
and nothing of particular interest transpired through the 
day, until in the afternoon, when General McClellan re- 
turned, and it was soon rumored about that the long 
looked-for time had arrived, and that the army would com- 
mence moving in a few hours, and that its destmation was 
to be Williamsburg, in the first instance. It was believed 
that the army would move by three roads, in order to get 
through more rapidly, and to be better prepared to meet 
any attack which the rebels should make upon our col- 
umns. By some means the general plans intended to be 
pursued had become known (as events proved), probably 
it not being deemed necessary to maintain such perfect 
secrecy in regard to them as had hitherto been done. At 



DIAKY OF AN AKMY SURGEON". 180 

about six o'clock in the evening, orders were issued to the 
regiments and batteries comprising General Porter's corps 
to prepare to move immediately. These orders were re- 
ceived with cheers by the soldiers, who were rejoiced at 
the termination of their suspense and the prospect of a 
change of locality. Many of them believed, up to the last, 
that it was an advance towards Richmond, to co-operate 
with General Pope in the reduction of the rebel capital. 
They could not, or would not believe, that after so many 
sacrifices, and the expenditure of so many lives, and so 
much time, labor, and money, the campaign was to be 
abandoned, and the Peninsula allowed -to relapse to rebel 
rule again. They could not realize the fact, that the proud 
Army of the Potomac, which three months before had com- 
menced its march with such high and noble hopes and as- 
pirations, with full ranks and joyous hearts, to wij^e out the 
record of Bull Run and Ball's Bluff, was now, with deci- 
mated ranks and disheartened spirits, about to retrace its 
steps and return, without having accomplished its purpose. 
True, too, tiiat the army had fought well, and stood by 
their general through good and evil report. They had, at 
Yorktown, Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Hanover Court- 
house, Gaines' Mill, White Oak Swamp, and Malvern 
Hill, enshrined their name with a halo of glory by their 
dauntless courage and gallant bravery, so fearlessly display- 
ed, often against superior, and sometimes overwhelming 
numbers ; — and now, that all was to be abandoned, and a 
retrograde movement was to be made, they utterly refused 
to credit. Soon all was bustle and excitement in the 
camps, the tents struck, and wagons packed very rapidly. 
So perfectly had every thing been prepared, that it took 
but comparatively short time to have every thing in 
readiness. By nine o'clock most of the regiments were 



190 LEAVES FROM THE 

ready and waiting for marching orders, and by ten all the 
preparations were made. The division of General Sykes, 
which was to lead the advance, commenced its march at 
about that hour. This Avas followed by General Morrell 
and General McCall's divisions. It was nearly three o'clock 
on Friday morning before all were fairly started for the 
march. The sight was very romantic and interesting, as 
the long files of soldiers moved out of the intrenchments 
at the front and into the Charles City road, their bayonets 
glistening in the moonlight as they moved silently along. 
Suppressed congratulations were exchanged, that we were 
at length actually leaving the contracted lines within which, 
for more than six weeks, the army had lived, and suffered 
discomforts which must ever render the recollections of the 
place any thing but pleasant or satisfactory. We proceed- 
ed slowly along, and soon the signs of approaching day 
streaked the horizon, and in the light of early dawn we 
bid, at last, farewell to the scene of our recent uncomfort- 
able experiences. The air was cool and healthful, and the 
men generally cheerful and good-natured. The incidents 
and descriptions of the scenes connected with the beginning 
of marches have become so familiar, it is sufficient to 
say, that at last we were fairly started on our journey, and 
prepared to meet whatever fortune or adventures were in 
store for us. We reached Charles City Court-house at 
about eight, a. m., — this is about five miles from Harrison's 
Landing, — and from it a road which leads to Barrett ferry, 
on the Chickahominy river, near where it empties into the 
James. To this point our day's march was intended to 
reach, and it was said to be twelve miles distant, but my 
subsequent experience would seem to indicate that it was 
nearer fifteen. The Charles City Court-house, which is the 
seat of government of Charles City county, is a very an- 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SUKGEON. 191 

cient and venerable-looking one-story brick building with 
two wings. The main building was used as a court-house, 
and the wings contain the jury-rooms, &c., &c. Adjoining 
the court-house is another smaller building, which contain- 
ed the various county offices, and where were kept the 
public records of the county. These buildings have for 
some time past been used as a sort of head-quarters for one 
of our cavalry regiments on duty in that vicinity. The 
records and public documents which were kept in these 
buildings, extended back for nearly two hundred years, and 
must have been of very great importance to the inhabitants 
and property-owners of the county. These had been pulled 
about and torn to pieces and scattered all about the build- 
ing and adjoining grounds. Great confusion must arise 
from this wanton destruction of valuable papers, and liti- 
gation in the future be largely increased thereby. By 
such conduct friends and foes are injured indiscriminately, 
and without any accompanying advantage to compensate 
for the injury inflicted. Here also is the county jail; and 
these, with three or four other buildings, appear to consti- 
tute the city. It does not take much to make a city South. 
The dwelling-houses appeared to have been generally de- 
serted by their inhabitants. Leaving this place, we moved 
along slowly and cautiously, as it was thought beyond here 
we might possibly meet with some trouble from the enemy. 
Previous cavalry reconnoissances had shown no rebel force 
between us and the Chickahominy river, but yet there was 
a possibility that they might attempt to annoy us, even if 
not in force to attack seriously. The moving column of 
soldiers, artillery, army w^agons, and horses filled the road 
for miles, as it moved along. There were not many resi- 
dences along the road, and some of them had been aban- 
doned by their former occupants. The few inhabitants 



192 LEAVES FROM THE 

who remained were astonislied to see us moving along in 
such force. They pretended to have had no communica- 
tion with their rebel friends, or with Richmond, for a long 
time, and to be in complete ignorance of what had lately 
transpired in the outside world. They were very curious 
to know if it was a movement of our wdiole army, or if 
only a portion of it, for some particular purpose. Their 
rebel proclivities caused, what their caution could not en- 
tirely disguise, the exhibition of their rejoicing at the 
thought that we were going away, although they, generally, 
made professions of neutrality, and denied having any 
part in the war, &c., &g. One fact is generally noticeable 
in this State, and I have found it almost invariably 
wherever we have been, that is, the absence of all young 
or middle-aged men. A persevering inquiry will usually 
disclose the fact that they are with the rebel army, al- 
though most generally their friends claim that they have 
been forced away under the conscription, or volunteered to 
save the disgrace of being drafted. There are to be found 
on the plantations only women, old men, and children. 
The negroes who are able to be of any service are also 
mostly gone. Some having been removed dow^n South by 
their masters for safety, and the balance having sought 
refuge within the lines of dur army, where they, of course, 
cannot be pursued, and are thenceforth free. 

This portion of the State is fertile and productive, and 
has been styled the Garden of Virginia, but owing to these 
causes and the disturbing influence of war, is largely lying 
waste and overgrown with weeds and brambles at present. 
The crops gathered this year will be but small, and with 
the destruction caused by the presence of contending 
armies, the inhabitants must sufier greatly, and will find 
difiiculty in obtaining a subsistence until next year's harvest 



DIAKY OF AN AEMY SURGEON. 193 

is gathered. In every household there is mourning" for 
near and dear ones, whose lives have been sacrificed to the 
wicked and pestilent delusions to which, for the time being, 
the Southerners seem to be given over. All along the line 
of our march the houses were visited by stragglers from our 
army, of whom there will always be many, in spite of every 
exertion made to prevent it. The occupants of these 
houses appeared highly indignant because guards were not 
stationed, as formerly, to guard their property and prevent 
intrusion. They thought it extremely hard that they 
should be compelled to contribute towards the .support of 
the army in any way. Poultry and fruit rapidly disap- 
2)eared, and many a soldier's mess that night could boast of 
a fold addition. In some instances, what was taken was 
paid for, but in more they were in too great a hurry to 
rejoin their regiments to settle. The sufferers acknowl- 
edged, however, that their friends, of the rebel army, 
treated them with no more regard for their vested rights ; 
but what seemed to afflict them most was, that the hated 
Yankees should have the benefit of secesh property. Of 
course this pillaging by soldiers as they pass through an 
enemy's country must be condemned, and when detected 
and proved, should be punished for the good of the army 
itself, Avhich such practices tend to demoralize ; but still it is 
a great temptation to one, who has for weeks lived on salt 
pork and hard bread, to see a young and fat foT^l within 
close proximity to him. The march was conducted in an 
orderly manner, and the absence of any attack or attempt- 
ed opposition to our passage, must of course detract from 
the interest of the story. It however gratified both officers 
and men, who, as nothing could have been gained by fight- 
ing, more than was better attained without it — a passage 
through the country — desired that .we might get peaceably 

9 



194: LEAVES FKOM THE 

through it. They were all ready to fight, if required, but 
preferred, if possible, to be spared the necessity. Without 
any incidents worthy of note, the river was reached by the 
advance early in the afternoon, and by night the divisions 
of General Morrell and General Sykes were crossed over 
to the opposite bank. General McCall's division having 
taken another road, and having left the old camp subse- 
quently to the others, did not reach there until the next 
forenoon. A splendid pontoon bridge, of nearly a third of 
a mile in length and about thirty feet w^ide, had been built 
across the Chickahominy by the'' engineer brigade, and 
upon this marched the weary soldiers, followed by the 
artillery, and encamped upon the opposite shore for the 
night. Near this bridge were lying the gunboats Delaware 
and Yankee, to protect it against any attempt the enemy 
might make to destroy it. The day's march had been 
long and tiresome, but the men stood it very well. The 
weather throughout the day was cool, and until about one 
p. M. was overcast ; so that, except for the dust, the march 
had been pursued in comparative comfort. In fact, up to 
this time, the weather had been most favorable. Had it 
been ordered expressly it could not have been bettered ; 
except, perhaps, a little rain, to lay the dust, would have 
been an acceptable improvement. The intense heat un- 
der w^iich we have been sweltering for weeks past, has 
been succeeded by a cool and comfortable temperature, 
which has enabled us to march through the day and en- 
camp at night, to the manifest advantage of the army, as 
regards its health and strength. Night marches have not 
been resorted to, except upon the first night, but the men 
have been allowed to rest and refrej?h themselves after the 
day's march, and prepare for the labors and fatigues of the 
succeeding day. Saturday morning the march was resumed, 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SUEGEON. 195 

and the columns moved on towards Williamsburg, at which 
place the advance arrived about eight a. m. General Mor- 
rell's division arrived there about one p. m., and passed on 
to the vicinity of the old battle-field, where they remained 
encamped until Sunday morning. Every thing passed 
peaceably. 

It was now evident that the rebels were either unaware 
of the time when and the direction in which we were go- 
ing, or that they had other business for their army than 
following us. Their experience at White Oak Swamp and 
Malvern Hill may have taught them a lesson which they 
do not care to repeat at present. If any attack is intended 
by them, it must be upon our rear-guard, but it is not 
thought that they will now disturb us at all. This day's 
march witnessed a repetition of the previous onslaught 
upon the poultry and orchards of the secesh inhabitants by 
the stragglers. As a general thing they were civil, how- 
ever, and willing to pay for what was taken (when re- 
quested to do so). Large quantities of unripe fruit and 
melons were devoured, which will most probably cause a 
material increase of cases of diarrhea and dysentery, and 
refill the regimental hospitals, which had been cleared of 
their occupants preparatory to this movement. There was, 
also, some disappearance of fowls and poultry of all kinds, 
which had become a very common article of diet in 
the camps. Many of the soldiers were seen to carry, in 
addition to their arms and accoutrements, extra rations in 
the shape of turkeys, geese, chickens, and ducks, which, by 
the noise they made, had evidently been recently served 
out to them (?), and were yet, in many instances, alive and 
kicking. Just before entering Williamsburg, there was 
noticed an enterprising private by the side of the road, un- 
der the shade of a large tree, with some half-dozen un- 



196 ' LEAVES FKOM THE 

ripe water-melons spread out before him, winch he was dis- 
l^osing of to his less fortunate comrades at the moderate 
rate of fifty cents each. How he became possessor of this 
valuable merchandise is unknown, but that his profits 
equalled the total of his receipts there is no doubt. He 
was not a native Yankee, but an Hibernian, and one who 
evidently, with the reckless generosity and profusion char- 
acteristic of his countrymen, combined the thrift and 
shrewdness which is supposed to belong to the natives of 
the land of his adoption. The secessionists of Williamsburg, 
as elsewhere along the route, were much rejoiced to see 
our army making a retrograde movement, anticipating that 
soon this part of the Peninsula, also, would be surrendered 
to the rebel rule again. The colored population had taken 
the alarm, and were very anxious to learn what the future 
had in store for them. Some of the more indiscreet of the 
rebel sympathizers, upon learning that we w^ere evacuating 
our position upon the James river, indulged in threats of 
what should be done to the negroes when the Yankees were 
gone. This increased their alarm and agitation, and the 
exodus of this class of the population, most of whom had 
been the slaves of rebel fugitive masters, has already com- 
menced, and probably a few days will see the town relieved 
of nearly all of them, but a very few will remain to ex- 
perience the tender mercies of their secesh friends. Be- 
tween the action of the rebels in carrying their slaves down 
South, and the operation of military rule, the Peninsula has 
been cleared of the more valuable portion of the slave prop- 
erty, those who are left being generally either of an ancient 
or very tender and juvenile age, neither of which are of much 
profit. Practical emancipation has taken place ; and those 
who have not availed themselves of its benefits, are of the 
class who are either too old, too young, or too shiftless to 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON". 197 

do SO. This morning, one of the rebel sympathizers of this 
place, named Robert Coles, was arrested, by order of the 
provost-marshal; at his residence a quantity of ammuni- 
tion and some arms were found. It is said that he was 
busily engaged, yesterday, in running bullets, while our 
troops were passing through the town. The avowed pur- 
pose was, to stop the departure of the contrabands after 
the expected withdrawal of our troops. At an early hour, 
this morning, the march was resumed, and continued in an 
orderly manner until Yorktown was reached. There was 
now no danger of an attack, and there did not exist the 
necessity for any special care in making the advance. 
IS^othing worthy of note occurred, and Yorktown was 
reached soon after noon, and the weary soldiers encamped 
in the old camp, made familiar to most of them by a four 
weeks' residence, during the famous siege of the rebel for- 
tifications. Here they remained and rested. The march- 
ing was beginning to tell upon the men, and there were a 
good many stragglers, who had fallen out of the ranks. 
The provost-guard was constantly employed in riding to 
and fro upon the road, hurrying them up, but in sj^ite of 
their exertions they came in slowly, by twos and threes, 
and sometimes in squads. Most of them rejoined their 
commands in the course of the day and evening. The 
scenes of the previous two days were repeated along the 
route, although not to so great an extent. It was, how- 
ever, highly dangerous for poultry to show itself in any 
close proximity with the soldiers. 

Upon my arrival at Yorktown I called upon General 
Van Alen, the military governor of the place, who received 
me kindly and courteously ; and to him am I indebted for 
kind favors and attentions received. Since the occupation 
of the place by the Union troops, it has been much im- 



198 LEAVES FROM THE 

proved, and its general appearance and clean and orderly 
condition is highly creditable to him and to Captain Tle- 
vere of the 44th regiment, New York Volunteers, the 
provost-marshal. When the "Union" troops first took 
possession of the place, it was in a filthy condition. Under 
the direction of Captain Revere it has been thoroughly 
cleaned, and large quantities of filth, offal, and decay- 
ing carcasses of animals have been removed and buried. 
The main street has been filled and raised two feet, and 
every thing possible has been done to make the village a 
healthy and respectable place of residence. The earth- 
works and intrenchments built both by the Union and the 
rebels remain intact, and by their extent and massiveness 
show with what perseverance and energy both parties con- 
tended for the locality. The first buildings erected in 
Yorktown for twenty-seven years, is a row of five one- 
story buildings, built under Captain Revere's direction for 
the use of the ofticers, etc., connected with head-quarters. 
The place is fully prepared for defence against any attack 
which might be made upon it by the rebels, who cannot 
safely or successfully enter upon any operation of this na- 
ture. A single gunboat would command Gloucester Point 
opposite, and prevent the erection of batteries there, and 
any hostile demonstrations from the other side must result 
in a speedy repulse of any force which might be brought 
down for that purpose. Upon the plain, outside the rebel 
works, quite an extensive burial-ground has been laid out, 
which already contains about three hundred graves, mostly of 
our soldiers who have been buried there. When the army 
advanced from this point, a large number of sick were left 
here, of whom many died. Some bodies were also brought 
here from Williamsburg and other points up the Peninsula, 
and here, after "life's fitful fever, they slept well.'^ A 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 199 

headboard at each grave records the name, regiment, and 
company of its occuj^ant ; so that their friends can, at any- 
time, find the place of their sepulture. A neat rail-fence 
incloses the whole and protects it from intrusion. 

The avant-courier of the army of the Potomac arrived at 
Hampton Roads this morning, in the shape of Hunt's ar- 
tillery reserve, and immediately went into camp, for two or 
three days' rest. Fitz-John Porter's corps is now at New- 
port News, or rapidly arriving there, and by to-morrow 
morning the entire army of the Potomac will be at York- 
town, Newport News, and Hampton. Up to the present 
time I have heard nothing but rumors of fighting ; they 
were based on the firino; of o-unboats, as they shelled the 
woods on the banks of the James river, to keep them 
clear of the rebels who might use their cover to hang on 
our flanks and rear to annoy us, and perhaps do us con- 
siderable damage. So fiir as can be learned, not a single 
rebel has been seen on the entire march. In short, the 
change of base has been effected without the loss of a man, 
the necessary firing of a shot, or the destruction of a 
hundred dollars' worth of stores, commissariat or quarter- 
masters', and the army will soon be in a position to speed- 
ily embark for other points, where the enemy and Rich- 
mond are more accessible and success more certain. Most 
assuredly, to effect such an important change in the rela- 
tive position of contending forces, without a severe and 
disastrous conflict, must have called forth the highest 
powers of a great general, or it must have resulted from 
the weakness of the enemy. One or the other cause gave 
to our arms this fortunate escape from disaster, and per- 
haps destruction. Old Point Comfort will be quite lively 
of course for a little time. Storekeepers and sutlers are 
hauling in sail and making ready for a long calm. 



200 LEAVES FKOM THE 



CHAPTER XX. 

SECOND BATTLE OF BULL RUN.^ 

Paet of the Army of the Potomac, after fatiguing 
marches, have formed a junction with the Army of Vir- 
ginia, now commanded by General Pope. For the last 
four days a heavy firing has been heard, and I learn that 
another battle has been fought on the identical battle- 
ground of Bull Run. On the 26th, General Pope discovered 
that the enemy was turning his right towards Manassas, 
and as the division ordered to take post there had not 
arrived from our forces at Alexandria, he broke up camp at 
Warrenton and the Junction, and marched back towards 
Washington by three columns. General McDowell's and 
General Sigel's corps, with part of Reno's division, marched 
upon Gainesville by the Warrenton and Alexandria turn- 
pike ; General Heintzelman, with the remainder of Reno's 
division, marched on Gainesville ; and Poj^e, with Porter's 
and Hooker's divisions, marched back to Manassas Junc- 
tion. General McDowell's corps interposed between the 
enemy's force that reached Manassas through Gaines- 
ville, and his main body, that was moving from White 
Plains through Thoroughfare Gap, and drove Longstreet's 
corps back through the Gap to the west side of the mountain. 
Gen. Hooker's forces came upon the enemy at Kettle Run 
on Wednesday afternoon, the 27th, and had a sharp engage- 
ment with them, killing and wounding a large number, and 
capturing some baggage and small-arms. On Thursday 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SUEGEON. 201 

morning tlie command moved forward rapidly to Manassas 
Junction, which General Jackson had evacuated some 
hours before. Returning by Centreville, on the Warrenton 
Pike, six miles w^est of the village, he met the forces of 
McDowell and Sigel, late in the afternoon. A severe fight 
followed, which ended when darkness came on. Next morn- 
ing Heintzelman's corps advanced on the enemy at daylight 
from Centreville, and at the old battle-field of Bull Run the 
combined forces of our army and the enemy fought with 
fury until after dark : the result was in favor of the Union 
troops. The enemy acted on the defensive, and remained 
within sight of our camp during the night. The fight was 
renewed on the two following days, with heavy loss to 
both sides, but no decided advantage to either. On the 
80th, General Pope again attacked the enemy. The Union 
forces are suffering very heavily, and hundreds are arriving 
from Washington to witness the battle and attend to the 
wounded, among the latter a great many clerks in the 
Departments are constantly arriving to attend to our men. 
The response by them to a call issued for the purpose, has 
been most prompt. Among them is Vincent R. Jackson, of 
the city post-office in Washington, and I learn he and 
twenty others have been taken prisoners by the rebels, 
though acting as nurses and entirely unarmed. 

The battle which was raging yesterday (the 30th Au- 
gust) was one of the bloodiest of the war. The Confed- 
erates were reinforced, and drove General Pope back to 
Centreville with heavy loss. The excitement was intense 
at Pope's defeat, and from his dispatches was entirely 
unexpected. It is feared that the supplies for his army 
may be cut off, as the rebels are marching for the Chain 
Bridge, but this is doubtless mere rumor. 

From all indications for the past week, it was clear that 
9* 



202 LEAVES FKOM THE 

a severe battle would come off at Manassas or Bull Run. 
The first sign of this was the rebel raid on Catlett's sta- 
tion, on the Alexandria railroad, on Sunday, the 24t]i 
August ; and next their appearance at Bristow station, on 
the 2Vth, and the destruction of our army stores. This was 
followed by an attack on our troops at Manassas, and the 
continued arrival of reinforcements, witli the evident inten- 
tion of turning Pope's right. On Wednesday morning 
Taylor's Brigade of Slocum's division of the Army of the 
Potomac left Camp Ellsworth near Alexandria by rail for 
Manassas, and arrived at Bull Run bridge at seven, the 
next evening. They landed and crossed it without delay 
and marched for Manassas ; but on ascending the hill over 
the valley of Bull Run, they met the enemy's skirmishers, 
who fell back. The brigade proceeded to Manassas, and 
as soon as they came within range of the circular fortifica- 
tions around the Junction, they were opened on by a 
heavy fire of artillery. Having no artillery or cavalry, they 
were obliged to fall back to the shelter of a hill. Here 
they were attacked by a brigade of rebel infantry, and a 
sharp fire of musketry was kept up for half an hour, when 
a force of rebel cavalry was seen advancing in the rear of 
the brigade, which obliged the general to retreat across 
the run at Blackburn Ford; while doing so, they were 
followed by horse-artillery, and badly cut up. 

The enemy seized on the advantage, or rather disadvan- 
tage, of our troops being so far separated, and actively 
endeavored to fall upon and whip each division, in detail. 
On Tuesday, the 22d, Stonewall Jackson arrived at Bristow 
station, four miles south of Manassas, burned the station 
and two railroad trains, tore up the track, cut the telegraph 
wires, and took all the Union guards on the railroad pris- 
oners. He and General Ewell had started on Sunday 



DIARY OF AN AKMY SUEGEON. 203 

from near "VYarrenton, with their divisions ; crossed the Rap- 
pahannock, six miles south of the Bhie Ridge, and arrived 
by way of Orleans and Salem, making the distance in less 
than three days. His first attack after was arrival, on the 
dwelling-house of a Mr. Lipscombe, in which were a dozen 
Union officers, all of whom, with the exception of one, 
\veYe taken prisoners. The next attack was upon a com- 
pany of 105th Pennsylvania Volunteers and about twx^nty 
cavalry, left to guard the road. Two or three of them 
were killed and the remainder were taken prisoners. A 
train of empty cars then came along, from Warrenton, and 
was fired into, but escaped. Jackson then issued orders to 
tear up the track. It was done, and a second train coming 
along, ran oiF the track and w^as also fired into. A third 
one, in like manner, follow^ed, and was also run off the 
track and into the last train. All the persons on board 
were made prisoners, ■^he cars were then set fire and de- 
stroyed. Proceeding down the track, about a mile, they 
burned the bridge at Cattle Run, tore up the track, and 
cut the telegraph wires, and, subsequently, burned the 
bridge at Broad Run, near Bristow. On Wednesday 
morning Ewell's division, with the batteries, took up a 
position near the railroad, one on each side, the other 
quite near the track, with infantry and cavalry be- 
tween. This entire force of the rebels was encamped be- 
hind brushwood and the railroad bank, with an open 
field in front. General Hooker's division left Warrenton 
to attack, with a j^ortion of Kearney's ; but these did not 
have an opportunity of getting into the fight. General 
Hooker, being in command, gave orders to charge 
through a piece of woods and into the open space, not ex- 
pecting to meet the enemy in great force ; but no sooner 
had they entered the woods than a murderous fire was 



204 LEAVES FROM THE 

opened on his men, from the entire line of the rebels, — 
three batteries throwing grape and canister. The most of it, 
however, passed harmlessly over their heads ; but the fire 
from the infantry was very destructive, compelling some 
of Hooker's regiments to fall back to the woods ; but, on 
being supported by others, they repeated the charge, and 
fired several volleys, when the enemy broke and retreated. 
Hooker's boys pursued them, yelling. The 3d New Jersey 
Brigade, commanded by Colonel Carr, sustained a loss of 
over six hundred, killed and wounded, in this action. 
Colonel Carr had his horse shot under him. This was 
plain evidence that the rebels were in force at Manassas, 
and that it was his intention to turn Pope's right. The 
battle of Saturday, the 30th of August, was continued by 
the army corps of Heintzelman, McDowell, and Sigel, 
against a force of fifty thousand of the rebels, under Jack- 
son and Lee. The location of the battle was in the vicinity 
of Haymarket, towards Sudley church, but a few miles 
northwest of the old and famous Bull Run. Heintzelmail's 
corps came up with the enemy's rear at ten o'clock, a. m., 
seven miles from Centreville. He there found Jackson 
fighting with McDowell and Sigel's forces, in the direction 
of Haymarket, the position they took, by going north from 
Centreville, to command Thoroughfare Gap. It was sup- 
posed that the reserve of Lee's army, thirty thousand 
strong, might suddenly appear near the field. Fitz-John 
Porter was so posted that he could, with equal facility, 
march on Lee, whether attacking McDowell, Sigel, or 
Heintzelman. The enemy was reinforced early on Satur- 
day, and attacked Pope's army before the arrival of Sumner 
and Franklin, a severe battle followed, in which Pope was 
badly beaten and forced to fall back on Centreville. 

This second battle of Bull Run was a long and bloody 



DIAEY OF AN AKMT SUKGEON. 205 

one. General Pope had concentrated the greater portion 
of the army under his command, and commenced the at- 
tack. He supposed, at first, that the rebel forces engaged 
Avere only those which had been met on the previous day 
under Generals Jackson, Ewell, and A. P. Ilill, but they 
had received reinforcements in the morning. The line of 
battle was formed with the left resting on that portion of 
the Bull Run battle-field which, on the 21st of July, 1861, 
w\as occupied by the main body of the rebel troops. ^The 
line was extended in the direction of Manassas Junction. 
The battle began at noon, and success appeared to be on 
the Union side until about four in the afternoon. General 
Heintzelman's corps was on the riglit and McDowell on 
the left. The army corps of Fitz-John Porter and Sigel, 
with Reno's division, w^ere in the centre. The enemy's 
artillery was advantageously posted, and at once opened a 
brisk fire on our line from right to left. The ground in 
that vicinity is broken and uneven, and for the most part 
covered with w^oods. The fighting on both sides w^as des- 
perate and destructive — the artillery of both armies firing 
shrapnell and grape. The Union troops were, to some extent, 
protected by the unevenness of the ground from the ene- 
my's most destructive fire. Yet they suffered terribly, and 
many of their best officers were killed or w^ounded. Our 
artillery was well and accurately served. About four 
o'clock the whole of General Pope's troops, excepting those 
under Banks, w^ere closely engaged with the enemy. The 
whole army, from generals down, behaved well and fought 
wath heroic valor. At this time the result was very doubt- 
ful ; but soon reinforcements of the flower and full strength 
of the rebel Army of Virginia were brought up to the front 
of the engagement. The estimated number of the rebels 
was between 150,000 and 200,000, under the command of 



206 LEAVES FKOM THE 

Gens. Lee and Johnson, who brought their men forward in 
dense masses, and hurled them with irresistible violence 
against every part of our lines, which turned the tide of bat- 
tle against us. In addition to this furious onslaught on our 
right and centre, and without any diminution of the ene- 
my's force at these points, an overwhelming number of re- 
inforcements were precipitated on our left wing, under 
General McDowell, which compelled him to fall back, not 
only on account of the violence of the attack, as the fear 
of all our forces being outflanked by the superior forces of 
the enemy. Our left wing kept retreating, until at night- 
fall it formed an acute angle with the line of battle formed 
in the morning. The severe losses our troops were sus- 
taining, and the evident superiority of numbers, compelled 
the retreat of the w^iole army to this side of Bull Run and 
the heights of Centreville, where General Pope established 
his head-quarters. Our loss in this second unfortunate bat- 
tle of Bull Run is over 6000. The enemy's is not as much. 
The division and brigade generals behaved with great 
bravery and coolness, and our men fought with their usual 
valor ; but the number pitted against them, and the dis- 
piriting results of the previous days' fights, added to the 
lack of enthusiastic confidence in their leader, produced 
its inevitable effects — a disastrous defeat. The wounded 
taken to the rear during the fight are in our possession, 
but all those w^io lay on the battle-field are in the hands of 
the enemy. During the battle General Schenck was 
wounded in the arm, which has been amputated. General 
Towers was wounded in the thigh. General Hatch was 
slightly wounded in the head. While General Pope 
was writing a dispatch he had a narrow escape, as a 
shell from one of the enemy's batteries struck and killed 
two horses belonging to his staflT, standing quite near him. 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 207 

General Franklin's corps did not reach the battle-field in 
time to be engaged. The brigades which snffered most 
are being sent to the rear of Centreville to protect tlic 
roads to the capital against any attack or raid that might be 
made in the rear of the army. The men are mnch dis- 
pirited and demoralized. The heavy rain of Saturday 
night prevented a renewal of attack by the enemy on San- 
day morning. Both armies rested daring the day, with 
' the exception of movements of baggage trains, and a 
I flank movement by the enemy to cut them off on the 
road to Fairfax Court-house. On Monday morning the 
, scene was beautifully striking from the heights of Cen- 
treville. The weather was clear and balmy. The pano- 
rama splendid, full of life and bustle, spread out before the 
beholder. In the direction of Bull Run you could see the 
mountains rising in the distance, with the splendid sur- 
: rounding scenery. There was also to be seen, not only the 
I large bodies of troops moving up steadily to their assigned 
I positions in the front, but hundreds of wagons and arabu- 
I lances hurrying to the rear, so that, as far as the eye could 
\ reach, the road was crowded with moving troops and 
I trains. The flashes of the enemy's guns could be seen in 
the distance, and the curling smoke of exploded shells was 
seen sailing in the air. The non-arrival of Franklin's corps 
in time for the battle is much talked about. It reached 
here yesterday, and took up a position in the front. 

During the figlit of Saturday, General Buford's brigade 
of cavalry, comprising the 1st Michigan, the 1st Virginia, 
and the 1st Vermont regiments, was ordered to recon- 
noitre on the left to prevent the enemy turning our flank; 
riding beyond the left where our infantry were found close 
behind the bf^tteries, which were playing on the enemy 
while the men were loudly cheering, the cavalry reached 



208 LEAVES FKOM THE 

an eminence, and were about to send out a detachment 
to explore, when a large force of the enemy were seen 
coming along the line of the adjacent woods. A rebel 
battery wheeled into position, which soon threw shell, can- 
ister, and grape, into the midst of our cavalry. Long lines 
of I'ebel inflmtry could be plainly seen hurrying to take up 
position, and soon other batteries opened on our left. 

Our cavalry, forced to return, retreated behind a low 
ridge ; but the clouds of dust revealing their place of re- 
treat, the rebels continued to shell them, and obhged them 
again to change their position. Soon a cavalry force was 
observed riding towards them. The order was given to 
draw sabres and prepare for a charge, when it was discov- 
ered that the squadron were friends, of the 4th New York 
Volunteer Cavaliy, which now fell in behind General Bu- 
ford's Brigade. The bugle sounded the advance, and over 
the hills galloped our men to meet the enemy. As they ap- 
peared, the rebel cavalry discharged double shot-guns at 
them, and then both met in full charge. Our men broke 
their line ; they rallied in fine style and dashed forward 
again ; but again their line was broken, — seeing which the 
rebels opened on our boys with a battery, and compelled 
them to return. By this time our left had given way, and 
on the retreat passed the cavalrj^, which now safely carried 
off a battery that was short of ammunition and came near 
being captured. Our troops then fell back on Franklin's 
division which had just come uj:), and were formed in line 
to prevent straggling and quell the panic which now ex- 
isted. Franklin's arrival a few hours earlier would, prob- 
ably, have altered the result of the fight. In this cavalry 
charge. Colonel Broadhead of the 1st Michigan, a brave 
and gallant ofllicer, fell mortally wounded. Lieutenant Morse 
was killed, and Lieutenant Merriam was wounded and taken 



DIAET or AN ARMY SURGEON. 209 

prisoner. Franklin's division after rallying our panic- 
stricken men, retired to Centreville. General Martin- 
dale's Brigade made a charge and drove a body of the 
enemy concealed in the woods, who were harassing our 
forces by their rifle-shooting. General Hartsall's Brigade 
made a similar charge, but with a different result. They 
penetrated the woods, when a deadly fire of grape and 
canister opened on them ; at the same time a murderous 
volley of rifle-balls came from one side, and a dashing charge 
of the enemy from another. Our men fought well, but 
were forced to retreat. The enemy remained on the 
battle-field all night. 

The road, from Centreville to Alexandria, is crowded 
densely with wagon trains, ambulances, and carriages. 
Some of the wounded have been sent to Washington, but 
a larger portion of them are being sent to Alexandria. 
The court-house, city-hall, and churches there are being 
converted into hospitals, and confusion reigns supreme, dis- 
trust and disaster is painted on every one's face along the 
road. 

On Monday evening following the disastrous battle of 
Bull Run, a severe engagement with the enemy took place 
at Chantilly, two miles north of Fairfax Court-house, be- 
tween a portion of our army and Jackson's forces. Our 
loss was very heavy, including General Stevens, who was 
shot in the head, while he was leading his brigade into 
action, bearing the colors, the color- sergeant having been 
previously shot. His son, also, who was acting on his 
stafl*, was wounded. General Philip Kearney was also 
killed the same evening. He was shot .thi'ough the back, 
while wheeling his horse around to clieer on his men. His 
loss is deeply deplored by the whole army. He was con- 
sidered one of the bravest generals in the service, and the 



210 LEAVES FROM THE 

enemy made repeated efforts to kill, wound, or capture 
him. His dashing and fearless bearing, and his conspic- 
uous figure, with but one arm, made him an easily distin- 
guished and coveted aim. Up to the night of his death 
he was, on every occasion, to be found in the thickest of 
the fight, and seemed to lead a charmed hfe. The Union 
army has not lost an ofiicer who will be as much regret- 
ted as General Kearney. The operations of the contend- 
ing armies, on the south side of the Potomac, completely 
absorb the attention and interest of evei^body, citizens 
and soldiers. The excitement that would naturally be 
awakened by the knowledge of the fact that bloody battles 
were being fought within cannon sound of the national 
capital, was considerably increased, because no full and 
authentic information respecting the results, or losses, had 
been received from the scene of action. 

The authorities at Washington called for volunteers 
from the citizens to proceed to the battle-fields to pick 
up and attend to the wounded and bury the dead. Thou- 
sands are strewn, for miles, all over the sanguinary field. 
The reason for this call on the citizens, is so as not to 
weaken the strength of the forces by detailing the weary 
soldiers for the duty. Hundreds of citizens promptly 
responded to the call, — each one supplied with two days 
rations, a bucket, and tin cup, to supply water to the 
wounded, and also a bottle of brandy. Transportation 
was, as speedily as possible, provided for them. Orders 
were also issued for the immediate removal of all the sick 
and wounded, that were able to be moved, from the hos- 
pitals in Washington, to make room for those expected to 
arrive from the battle-field of Bull Run. Soon the streets 
were crowded with ambulances, conveying them to the 
cars for Baltimore, Philadelphia, and other places. In the 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 211 

afternoon the War Department impressed into the service 
of the government, all tlie stages, hacks, and wagons, which 
soon swelled the long ambulance train that was on its way 
to bring in the wounded. Some of the citizens tendered 
their private carriages for the purpose, and, by nightfall, 
the turnpike from Alexandria to Fairfax Court-house was 
crowded with this long procession. The experiment utterly 
and shamefully failed, — the drivers and many of the volun- 
teer nurses, who drank freely of the brandy, mistaking the 
road, travelled all night, and at two in the morning, instead 
of reaching the battle-field, found themselves entering 
Alexandria. They were at once ordered to return to 
Washington, which most of them gladly obeyed. Others 
went in a train of cars from the capital, but, by some mis- 
management, it was four hours behind time in starting, 
and by this time half of the volunteer nurses had gone 
home to their beds. When the train did start, it slowly 
proceeded to Fairfax station, where it stopped. Some of 
the nurses, determined to be of some use, proceeded from 
this place on foot, in a heavy falling rain, to Centreville, 
where they were stopped by the guards and sent back. 
Some went, by way of Fall's Church to Ball's Cross-roads, 
but were here informed that the pickets were driven in by 
the rebel cavalry. They then crossed to Fairfax Court 
house, from which place to Centreville the road was com- 
pletely blocked by trains of wagons, gun-carriages, and 
ambulances, going in different directions. All this time 
the rain was pouring in torrents, and, to add to their dis- 
comfort and confusion, they were met by seven hundred 
Union prisoners, taken by Jackson but paroled immedi- 
ately. Behind them were twelve hundred rebel prisoners, 
who were captured during Friday's battle. They were 
proceeding under guard to Washington. 



212 LEAVES FROM THE 

At Fairfax Court-house, the hotel and other buildings 
were converted into hospitals. It was here that the 
news was received of the tide turning against the Union 
troops, which obliged them to abandon the field during the 
night. At Centreville, the whole of Pope's army, with 
the exception of Banks' corps, were found bivouacking : 
some drawn up in line of battle on the heights. Some 
of the brigades which had been badly cut up were in a 
demoralized state, and their generals were exerting them- 
selves to restore order and discipline among them. The 
confusion was terrible, and arose from many regiments and 
parts of regiments getting separated from their commands, 
and now were unable to find the brigade or division to 
which they were attached. So great was the uproar, it 
was impossible to ascertain the number killed or wounded. 
During the past fortnight over a dozen battles had been 
fought, some of them little more than skirmishes, but the 
battles of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were the most 
bloody of Pope's campaign, though not equal to many 
fought on the Peninsula under McClellan. 

Among the Union losses, besides Generals Kearney and 
Stevens, General Taylor was mortally wounded, and died 
last night in one of the hospitals at Alexandria. Colonel 
Fletcher Webster, son of Daniel Webster, was also mor- 
tally wounded on Saturday, and has since died. The scenes 
in the hospitals at Alexandria are heart-rending. The 
churches are crowded with the wounded. In the Baptist 
church, under the care of Acting Assistant-surgeon Ham- 
mond, I performed in two hours several operations; the 
beds are filled with the poor fellows, many of whom are 
mortally wounded, all of them suffering from the worst 
horrors of the battle-field. The dwelling-houses on an 
adjoining street, and all the pubhc buildings, are in hke 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SUEGEON. 213 

manner filled. The surgeons are working continually. 
The old Lyceum is now being prepared to receive patients, 
as every other available place is full. The wounds are 
chiefly from minie-balls. Many of them are wounded 
in the lungs, and all of them have suffered by the tedious 
journey from the battle-field over the rough roads, and 
the utter impossibility of obtaining any refreshment. Even 
water was difiicult to procure, and the teamsters, in many 
cases, were so panic-stricken that they forsook their teams. 



214 LEAVES FfiOM THE 



CHAPTER XXI. 

GENERAL M'CLELLAN RESUMES COMMAND. 

To-day, by order of the President, General McClellan 
has again resumed the supreme command of the army. 
Immediately after accepting the chief command of all the 
Union forces in the neighborhood of Washington, Gener 
al McClellan proceeded to inspect the troops and fortifica- 
tions on the south side of the river. This occupied him 
until after midnight. His reception by the officers and 
soldiers was marked by the most unbounded enthusiasm. 
In every camp his arrival was greeted by hearty and pro- 
longed cheering, and manifestations of the wildest delight. 
Many of the soldiers who fought under him in the hardest 
battles of the war, wept with joy at having again for their 
commander one upon whom they could place implicit 
reliance. Already his hurried visit to our camps has 
wrought a remarkable change in the soldiers. His presence 
seemed to act magically upon them, despondency is re- 
placed by confidence, and all are glad that McClellan will 
hereafter direct them. He has been busy in perfecting the 
organization of the army, and preparing -it for the duties 
to be assigned ; and has easily resumed his old habits, and 
spends most of his time among the camps and forts. 

Yesterday General Halleck was at General McClellan'g 
quarters for a long time, and subsequently the latter pro- 
ceeded to join the army. This, now, consists of veterans for 
the most part ; and a little time for reorganization, and for 



DIARY OF AN AKMY SURGEON. 215 

the designation of some new general officers, will make it 
so formidable a force, in conjunction with the new regi- 
ments now here, as to render it doubtful whether the 
rebels will dare to advance into Maryland. Fresh excite- 
ment multiplies upon us with each incoming day ; and this 
has been the most i^ainfully exciting period in the history 
of our national capital. What with the pouring in of the 
wounded from the field, the rushing hither and thither of 
ambulance carriages, wagons, and vehicles of every descrip- 
tion ; the movements of troops through the city towards 
the scene of war; the queryings and button-holeings of 
every person coming from across the river ; the heralding 
and bulletining of every rumor however vague and unre- 
liable, the whole town is kej^t in confusion worse con- 
founded. 

The scenes in the street, at the hotels and newspaper 
offices, and at the various departments, beggar descri^Dtion. 
Early this morning, long before the denizens of the capital 
are usually alive, the whole population was out, and then 
commenced the manufacture of rumors and reports, each 
relator vieinoj with the others in extravao^ance and color. 
The Washington morning j)apers set the ball rolling with 
the story that " our army was safe at Centreville ;" but tins 
story was soon spoiled by another, that the enemy had suc- 
ceeded in moving quietly down near the railroad, towards 
Alexandria, and is turning our left wing, and that they 
were now on this side of Fairfax Court-house, and between 
that place and Falls Church. 

This latter story gained credence from the fact that at 
10 a. m. a long line of army wagons, loaded with camp 
paraphernalia, came moving up Fourteenth-street, from 
the Long Bridge, and defiled out towards the outskirts of 
the town in the direction of the springs. Then an officer 



216 LEAVES FROM THE 

of General Pope's staff" came in, confirming the report. 
Yesterday there was brought into General Halleck's head- 
quarters, from Virginia, as prisoner of war, Captain Ashe, of 
North Carolina, acting adjutant-general in Gen. Jackson's 
army, from whom much has been learned of the state of 
affairs in the rebel army, and at the South. It is learned 
from other sources, entitled to credit, that the enemy have 
no fears or doubts of their ability to take Washington, and 
that very soon. Their force they deem amply sufficient 
for the purpose, numbering, as it does, under the five gen- 
erals, Jackson, Longstreet, Ewell, Hill, and Smith, not 
less than two hundred and fifteen thousand men at the 
present time. Jackson, Longstreet, Ewell, and Hill are 
now consolidated at Manassas, while Smith (our own Gus- 
tavus) is marching, with a column thirty thousand strong, 
on Fredericksburg. The gentleman from whom these facts 
were learned left the rebel camp at four a. m. yesterday. 
He also states that the rebels now there were quite desti- 
tute of rations, they having expected to subsist on those 
captured from our men at and near Manassas. They were 
in this disappointed, as their supply trains had not come up 
when my informant left ; and as they had not been heard 
from, it is to be presumed that the rebel troops are fully as 
badly cared for in the commissary line as our own. The 
rebels appear to look upon this movement as their last 
hope, and I am confidently told will never turn their backs 
upon Washington, but are determined to do or die there, 
and now. Their mortality has been enormous, and their 
own captured officers and surgeons admit a loss of from 
ten thousand to twelve thousand in killed and wounded up 
to Saturday night last. 

Generals Jackson and Longstreet had a quarrel one day 
last week, growing out of the question of rank, but it was 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 217 

settled in favor of the former by General Lee, who com- 
mands the whole rebel force in person. The Bull Rim 
bridge, on the Orange and Alexandria railroad, has its ups 
and downs as well as every thing else. When the rebels 
left Manassas last spring, they burned the structure, but it 
was rebuilt by our people, and held by them until yester- 
day week. The first structure built by the Union forces 
was merely a temporary one, but over it was thrown a 
beautiful trestle frame afterwards, and the temporary one 
was thrown down. On the night of Tuesday, the 26th of 
August, the rebels made a dash upon it, drove in our 
guards, and burned it the second time. Nothing daunted, 
however, Colonel McCollum got his men at work again, 
and on Monday night of this week had it rebuilt and ready 
for the cars to cross. But alas for all human calculations, 
about midnight of the same night a body of rebel cav- 
alry dashed down to the bridge, drove away the sentries, 
and burned it for the third time. General Pope's head- 
quarter trains have arrived at Alexandria. General 
McClellan has arrived from Alexandria, and established his 
head-quarters in this city. The sick, wounded, and miss- 
ing continue to arrive, by all possible means of convey- 
ance, from the field, and are being cared for at the sev- 
eral hospitals. The following statement was made by a 
gentleman who has every appearance of being reliable. 
He left Washington yesterday to go to Centreville to look 
for his brother, who was wounded on Saturday. He went 
out on the cars as far as Fairfax station (seventeen miles), 
then walked across to Fairfax Court-house, arriving there 
at 4 p. M. Here he met, as he judges, about four miles of 
army wagons, loaded with the army luggage and sick and 
wounded men, coming this way. There was also some 
artillery, some cavalry, and a large number of skulkers 

10 



218 LEAVES FROM THE 

interspersed, all belonging to McDowell's corps. They 
brought the news that Pope's entire army had fallen back, 
and were en route for the forts around Washington. My 
informant pushed on about a mile the other side of Fair- 
fax, and as he reached the summit of a hill, he saw in the 
plain before him a large number of our troops drawn up 
in line-of-battle order. Here he met an officer, who told 
him that Jackson had succeeded in turning our left wing, 
and our troops were momentarily expecting an engage- 
ment. Just then the rain commenced falling, and my 
informant went back to Fairfax. He had not more than 
reached the village before the action became general, and 
continued until night, in the midst of a terrible thunder- 
storm. General Pope's assistant adjutant-general, Sel- 
fridge, who had left the scene at six o'clock last night, 
confirmed the above report. There is great dissatisfaction 
against Pope and McDowell, made continually manifest by 
imprecations and execrations, which are loud and deep. 
General Pope may claim that he has obeyed orders, no 
matter what the result may have been, but I find no one 
inclined to do McDowell honor. To-night the Union army 
will all be concentrated in the works around this city, and 
General McClellan has already assumed the position of 
commander-in-chief of all the forces in the field in this 
part of the country. The announcement of this latter 
fact has been hailed with acclamations of infinite delight 
by nearly the whole population. Those who were before 
trembling with apprehension, and preparing to evacuate 
the city, are now assured of safety, and feel confident that 
the splendid army concentrated in the vicinity will be able, 
under the administration of a general in whom it has 
confidence, not only to repel the assault of the whole rebel 
army, advancing with rapid strides upon the defensive works 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 219 

around the city, but to drive them back and utterly defeat 
and rout them, and thus within a few weeks end the pres- 
ent campaign. After a desperate struggle upon the twice- 
trodden field of Bull Run on Saturday last, the forces un- 
der General Pope withdrew to the other side, of the heights 
of Centreville. It appears the enemy immediately began 
to execute another of those manoeuvres by which they have 
accomplished every success they have gained. 

As was reported, on Sunday morning inteUigence was 
brought to the head-quarters of General Pope that a large 
force of rebel cavalry and artillery was moving around his 
right. The general, apparently regarding the movement 
as a simple reconnoissance in force, to ascertain definitely his 
position, paid little attention to the information ; but subse- 
quent events have demonstrated that it was the beginning 
of a general movement of the rebel army to the right and 
rear of the forces of General Pope, in position at Centre- 
ville. Fortunately, as a protection to the immense supply 
trains, moving in the direction of Fairfax Court-house, a 
considerable force had been detached from Pope's army 
and thrown in that direction. The remnant of McDowell's 
corps cParmee had been sent to the rear, and was located 
upon the Warrenton turnpike, leading from Fairfax Court- 
house through Centreville, about a mile beyond its junc- 
tion with the Little River turnpike, leading to Leesburg. 
Gen. Couch's division was located near Germantown, about 
two miles from Fairfax Court-house, upon the Little River 
turnpike. During yesterday information was received that 
a large rebel force was approaching Fairfax Court-house 
by the latter route, and a portion of Heintzelman's corps, 
under Generals Kearney and Grover, was moved in that 
direction ; and General Hooker was specially detailed, by 
orders from head-quarters here, to take command of all the 



220 LEAVES FKOM THE 

forces at that point. Just before dark an attack was com- 
menced by a strong rebel force, comprising the divisions of 
Generals Ewell, A. P. Hill, and Longstreet, upon the posi- 
tion occupied by General Couch. Generals Kearney and 
Grover were marched rapidly through the woods to his 
support. A few discharges of artillery were made by one 
of our batteries, but the battle, which was brief and fierce, 
was almost exclusively an infantry engagement. The 
charge of our gallant troops was desperate and irresistible, 
and the enemy were almost immediately repulsed. It was 
here that General Grover's Brigade, of Hooker's division, 
had one of the fiercest bayonet fights that has occurred 
during the war. The brigade charged into the woods, 
where the enemy were posted, in three lines, behind a 
breastwork four or five feet high, and in about twenty 
minutes five hundred and seventeen of their number fell. 
Formed in one line, the brigade broke through two lines 
of the enemy, but, being unsupported, they were obliged 
to fall back. The 2d New Hampshire regiment. Colonel 
Marston, actually crossed bayonets with the rebels, and had 
a desperate encounter, in which they lost severely, although 
they drove the foe from their position. Among the 
killed was Lieutenant Hiram Banks, of the 16 th Mas- 
sachusetts regiment, brother of Major-general Banks. 
He was a true soldier, and was rapidly winning his way to 
distinction. Major Gardiner Banks, another brother of 
General Banks, is in command of the 16th Massachusetts, 
Colonel Lannatt and Lieutenant-colonel Lawson being in 
hospital. General Butterfield commanded a division in 
General Fitz-John Porter's corps, in the battle, and in his 
division twenty-two color-bearers were shot. The victory 
was achieved with the loss of two of our most gallant, 
brave, and accomplished generals, — Isaac J. Stevens and 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SURGEON. 221 

Philip Kearney. The former fell at the head of his brigade, 
and the latter while leading one of his regiments into posi- 
tion. 

The object of this rebel movement upon Fairfax Court- 
house was, unquestionably, to obtain possession of some 
portion of the vast amount of supplies which w^ere parked 
in that vicinity. It was known here yesterday, from infor- 
mation derived from Wm. S. Ashe, formerly representative 
in Congress from North Carolina, but lately assistant adji*- 
tant-general to Stonewall Jackson, who was captured by our 
troops on Monday morning, w^hile making a reconnoissance, 
that the rebel army was greatly in want of provisions. Their 
raid upon Catlett's station and Manassas Junction, and this 
last movement, were all intended to obtain supphes. Their 
movement towards Maryland is supposed to be actuated, 
not so much by the hope of thereby capturing this city, as 
to obtain food for their army. They fought, last night, like 
desperate and starving men, but they failed in their object. 
The supply trains, which had all been moved from Centre- 
ville to Fairfax Court-house, were immediately put in mo- 
tion : and without the destruction of any public property, 
except the loss of a wagon here and there overturned on 
the road, all the thousands of wagons have been brought 
into Alexandria, or within the circuit of the forts around 
this city. As soon as it was ascertained that the wdiole 
rebel army had moved to the right and rear of Centreville, 
the rest of General Pope's forces were marched towards 
Fairfax Court-house, General Fitz-John Porter bringing 
up the rear; and by midnight to-night the whole army 
will have arrived within the shadow of our fortifications. 
There was no object in holding Centreville after the depar- 
ture of the rebel array from before it, and now new plans 
are to be formed and new positions taken. During last 



222 LEAVES FROM THE 

night a small force of rebel cavalry came in as far as 
Fairfax Court-house, about three miles from Upton's Hill. 
This morning a large force of rebels was reported at Lees- 
burg, and it is stated that a considerable portion of the 
rebel army will attempt to cross the Potomac, between that 
point and Harper's Ferry. Reports have also reached here 
that another rebel force, under the command of General 
Gustavus Smith, has arrived at Fredericksburg, and designs 
crossing the Potomac into lower Maryland, somewhere 
about the Rappahannock river. This is the present position. 
There was no lack of courage in our troops, nor faltering 
on the part of their officers, to which may be charged this 
retrograde movement ; but there was, and is, sad complaint 
of mismanagement by commanding generals, and a deplor- 
able want of confidence in their capacity. Mr. Dennis, 
military agent here for the State of Indiana, has received a 
letter from Colonel Meredith, of the 19th Indiana, which, 
with the 2d, 6th, and 7th Wisconsin regiments, form Gen- 
eral Gibbons' Brigade. On Thursday evening they encoun- 
tered Hill's rebel division, from whom they took a battery, 
wdiich they are reported as still possessing. They held the 
battle-field, but Col. Meredith was the only field-officer who 
was not hurt. He had three horses shot under him. Our 
entire loss in this brigade, killed, wounded, and missing, 
was seven hundred and seventy-eight. The Indiana 19th 
lost two hundred and twenty-seven. The brigade was not 
in the fight on Friday, but was on Saturday, and held out 
to the close of the day. Their loss has not been ascertained. 
A New York battery came in this morning to exchange 
their damaged guns and appurtenances for new ones. It 
went off in the direction of the arsenal. I did not learn 
the name of the commanding officer. It is stated that 
the New Hampshire battery lost three of its guns. Balti- 



DIAEY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 223 

moreans, of secession sympathies, state here, to-day, that 
the rebels will cross into Maryland, below Harper's Ferry. 
It is stated that General Wool has gone to Harper's Ferry, 
to concert measures for the protection of the Baltimore 
and Ohio railroad. A gentleman from the immediate 
neighborhood of Leesburg states that a force of rebels is 
there. 

Washington^ September 2, p. m. — The city to-night was 
in a state of great excitement, and not without most sub- 
stantial cause. Crowds were gathered at all the hotels, and 
on the streets, discussing and speculating on the future. 
It may here be said, that while the more timid of our 
fellow-citizens apprehend danger from the rebel move- 
ments, there are stout hearts that are not intimidated. 
Last night there was a series of skirmishes along the 
whole front, during which we lost two or three of our best 
generals, and other valuable officers. According to preva- 
lent reports, it was Hooker's division which was mainly, if 
not altogether, engaged in driving back the rebels, but the 
one mile of skirmishing was attended with much loss of 
life. At about four o'clock this morning, a train of one 
hundred wagons, with commissary stores, was intercepted 
by the enemy between Fairfax and Centreville, and driven 
off towards Manassas, before the party could be overtaken. 
They secured the entire train. So soon as this raid in the 
rear of our army at Centreville was known, the necessity 
of guarding that direction became apparent, and at noon 
the whole army of Virginia had abandoned Centreville, 
and was massed this side of Fairfax Court-house. This 
noon they again took up a line of march, and this evening 
the advance was in sight of Munson's Hill. The enemy's 
cavalry followed them in the distance, but made no attack, 
and the entire movement was being accomplished in excel- 



224: LEAVES FROM THE 

lent order. At noon to-day, General McClellan rode out 
to meet the returning column, and was received with great 
demonstrations of gratification and pleasure by the army. 
The works for the defence of Washington are all in excel- 
lent condition, and are strongly manned by experienced 
artillerists. The gunboats lining the Potomac are doubt- 
less designed to prevent any attempt to interrupt the navi- 
gation on that river. 

The Retreat of the Left Wing in the Bull Run Battle^ 
September 3c?, 1862. 

When General Franklin's corps arrived at the battle- 
ground on Saturday afternoon, the fortunes of the day had 
been decided, and the command was halted near Cub Run. 
Major-general Slocum, seeing that General Pope's left wing 
was falling back towards Centreville, formed his division in 
line of battle across the road, and deployed a squadron of 
cavalry attached to the corps, as skirmishers. General 
Smith's division was also drawn up in line of battle half a 
mile in the rear. When the troops came back they were 
brought to a halt, and not allowed to pass this point, and 
numbers of stragglers and skedaddlers were collected. 
General Hooker's division, and General Kearney's division 
came back in order, the regiments marching Avith well- 
closed ranks. Many of the stragglers attempted to fall in 
with those regiments and march off tlie field with them, but 
they were repulsed and kept out of the ranks of the steady 
veterans, who did not desire the companionshi]) of men on 
the retreat who would not face the enemy by their sides 
in the front of the battle. 

As incidents of the battle, I will mention that over 
eleven hundred paroled prisoners, some of whom were ta- 
ken by the enemy as far back as Thursday at Manassas, 



DIAEY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 225 

arrived late this evening at Aqueduct Bridge, Georgetown, 
and report that General Lee has established his head- 
quarters three miles beyond Bull Run, on the Warrenton 
turnpike. The only force at Fairfax was Stuart's cavalry, 
he being there in person. The rebels assisted the men in 
the burial of our dead last night, whom they stripped of 
their clothing, except their pantaloons. Our men say 
that the rebels were so hungry, they rushed for the hav- 
ersacks of our killed and wounded. They saw the sol- 
diers of the enemy marching to the rear, on the Warren- 
ton turnpike, towards Thoroughfare Gap. Washington is 
comparatively quiet, the excitement of the last two days 
having subsided. Such disposition has been made of the 
troops within the last twenty-four hours as to restore con- 
fidence. Reports have reached here, from time to time, of 
certain resjiments having^ been annihilated, when after the 
lapse of a few days the rumors prove groundless, the ap- 
pearance of numerous stragglers being the best refutation 
of the exao:Q;eration. Bris^adier-g^eneral Butterfield, in the 
battle of Saturday, commanded that portion of General 
Morrell's division taking part in the engagement. General 
Morrell was with General Griffin's Brigade, which took no 
part in the fight. Colonel Henry A. Weeks, of the 12tli 
ISTew York, who commanded General Butterfield's Brigade, 
w^as shot through both legs. His coolness and bravery on 
the field, and the able manner in which he manoeuvred his 
command is worthy of the highest praise. The officers, 
one and all, and the men of the 12th regiment, fully sus- 
tained their reputation. Captain Ryder, who was temporari- 
ly attached to General Butterfield's staff, was shot in the 
head, but not mortally wounded. Captain Fowler, also of 
the Twelfth, was wounded in the foot : his conduct here, as 
well as at Malvern Hill, elicited the warmest commendation 

10* 



226 LEAVES FROM THE 

of the whole brigade ; when unable longer to lead his com- 
pany he was unwillingly mounted on a horse, which was 
captured from the enemy, on which he proceeded to Fair- 
fax Court-house : while resting there during Monday night 
the enemy shelled the town, and he again narrowly es- 
caped with his life. On Tuesday he was sent forward, via 
Alexandria, to Washington. Some of the best officers 
were not present during the engagement ; Captain Boyle 
was acting brigade provost-marshal, and Captain Cromie, 
who had been severely wounded during the Seven Days' 
fight and taken prisoner at Savage's station, was not suf- 
ficiently recovered to rejoin his regiment. Lieutenant 
Oliver distinguished himself during the fight ; he is a well- 
deserved favorite with officers and men. Colonel Roberts, 
of the 2d Maine, who commanded General Martindale's 
Brigade, had his horse shot under him. All the regiments 
engaged fought gallantly, and none better than the l7th 
New York and 18th Massachusetts regiments, never before 
under fire. The 5th New York sustained severe loss. 

General Duryea's Brigade, which is composed of the 
97th, 194th, and 105th New York, and 107th Pennsylva- 
nia regiments, was ordered, during the battle on Saturday, 
to advance into a piece of woods near the old Bull Run 
battle-field. Here they found the 57th New York, which 
had been obliged to fall back from the advanced position 
which had been previously occupied. They were ordered 
to relieve them, and did so. This was about one o'clock, 
p. M. The brigade was then ordered to advance to the 
position originally held, and from which the 57th had re- 
treated. Soon after reaching this advanced position, the 
rebels made their appearance in considerable force and 
with four pieces of artillery, with which they opened fire ; 
but fortunately their guns were too much elevated to do 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SUEGEON. 227 

serious mischief. This continued for half an hour without 
material advantage to either side. While thus engaged, 
General Duryea received a wound in the right hand from 
a piece of shell, while dismounted and cheering on his men. 
He had the hand bandaged up, and remained on the field 
in command of his brigade through the day. The brigade 
w^as then ordered to fall back and occupy a position in the 
woods, about 400 yards in the rear. They remained in this 
position two or three hours, engaged in skirmishing and 
bush-fighting, and until an order was received to fall back 
further ; but before this could be done the order was coun- 
termanded, and they were ordered to advance to their 
original j^osition. Here they remained until between five 
and six o'clock, p. m., constantly under fire of the rebel 
artillery. 

Captain Thomas Hight, of the 2d regular cavalry, was 
taken prisoner by the rebels near Manassas, and the first 
question asked him by his caj^tors was, whether he be- 
longed to Pope's army. Colonel Fitzhugh Lee took him 
in charge, and told him that he could not be paroled until 
Stonewall Jackson should come up or fall in with them. 
He was put upon a horse and rode with Lee, except, when- 
ever they came in colUsion with our own troops he was 
sent to the rear, so that he might be out of danger. When 
Stonewall Jackson came up, the next day, Captain Hight 
was paroled. He was given to understand, that if he had 
been under General Pope's command he would have been 
sent to Richmond. On Sunday morning, as the rebels 
neared our provision trains of cars at Manassas, Captain D. 
L. Smith gave orders to save all that could be saved and 
to burn the balance, which was done. To carry out this, 
he directed two young clerks in the commissary depart- 
ment, named Rolhs C. Gink and James Paul, to stay to 



228 LEAVES FKOM THE 

the last, which order they cheerfully obeyed. They suc- 
ceeded in saving over one thousand dollars' worth of coffee 
and bacon, and other articles of value, when the rebels 
again appearing, they began to think it was time to leave. 
Looking for their clothes, they came across the army mail- 
bags ; and droj^ping their own property, they shouldered 
the mail-bags, and carried them a distance of twelve miles, 
through heavy rain and mud, to Bull Run, where they got 
the cars, and delivered the mail safe in the post-office. One 
of these brave young men has been quite ill since from 
fatigue. 



DIART OF AN AE3IY SDEGKON. 229 



CHAPTER XXII. 

INCIDENTS AFTER THE BATTLE OF BULL EUN. 

The excitement existing for the news of the expected 
great battle has been partially gratified by the intelligence, 
received to-night, that a skirmish occm-red last night, in 
the vicinity of Poolesville, between about 140 Union cav- 
alry under Captains Means and Cole, of eastern Virginia, 
and a large force of rebel cavalry, and that a battle has 
been going on to-day on the Virginia side of the river, op- 
posite Poolesville, 28 miles from Washington. General 
Sumner's corps has been sent forward to intercept the 
rebel troops, who are said to be concentrating near Pooles- 
ville with the intention of crossing into Maryland. JEle- 
ports from Falls Church state that brisk cannonading, in 
the direction of Poolesville, was distinctly heard this morn- 
ing, about nine o'clock. A large number of ambulances 
and an immense train of wagons are proceeding towards 
Poolesville, and three batteries are now on their way. The 
provost-guard is again impressing all the hack-carriages 
found in the streets, and sending them to join the ambu- 
lance-train. These preparations indicate a severe engage- 
ment, and a large number of wounded to be cared for, but 
nothing beyond this is certainly known. When the resto- 
ration of General McClellan to the supreme command of 
the army was made known in the hospitals, the men who 
had been wounded at Bull Run and Chantilly, under Gen- 
eral Pope, though suffering agony from their wounds, sent 



230 LEAVES FROM THE 

forth shouts of gladness, and endeavored to rise from their 
cots to hurrah for him. ISTor is the effect of General Mc- 
Clellan's reappointment confined to the army in the field 
or the wounded in the hospitals, it has actually allayed a 
panic, already begun, among citizens of all classes, who are 
now loud in their expressions of congratulation, whatever 
their former opinions may have been. 

Since the accession of General McClellan, the recruits 
are arriving in great numbers to fill up the decimated 
ranks. They will add much to the efiiciency of the several 
divisions, now so much reduced in numbers, especially that 
of General King, which left Cedar Mountain on the 19th 
of August, and arrived at the Rappahannock next day. 
The following morning the enemy opened their batteries 
on the division, and kept up the fire till Friday night, 
during which the division lost a very large number of men 
and some ofiicers, among whom was Lieutenant Jordan, 
acting aid to General Hatch. On Saturday the division 
moved to Warrenton, preceded by Buford's cavalry, which 
drove out a considerable force of the enemy. On Tuesday 
morning the command reached the Sulphur Springs, where 
they were again shelled by the rebels from the south bank 
of the Rappahannock. The enemy also sent down to the 
river, and stationed in the bushes a body of infantry, who 
attempted to pick off our men. A detachment of the 2d 
Berdan Sharp-shooters were sent down the river and sta- 
tioned behind trees. From this position they soon check- 
ed the enemy's fire, and held them in their own ambush 
until after dark, when a flag of truce was sent by the reb- 
els, under pretext of returning a woman found in man's 
clothing, but really for the purpose of withdrawing their 
men. On Wednesday the division was ordered to fall 
back to Centreville, and reached Groveton that night, 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SURGEON. 231 

where it joined General Reynolds with a division of Penn- 
sylvania troops. Early on Thursday, signs of the enemy 
were discovered, and the brigade of General Hatch was 
sent forward to reconnoitre ; but finding nothing, save indi- 
cations of a small cavalry force, the command moved on. 
Hardly a mile had been made before a heavy fire of artil- 
lery was opened upon General Hatch's brigade from the 
left. Campbell's battery, 4th artillery, immediately gal- 
loped up to the front, got into position upon a ridge, and 
opened upon the enemy, posted just across a valley upon 
the crest of another hill, but a short distance ofiT. Gibbons' 
Brigade was then ordered up ; the 2d Wisconsin taking the 
left of the fine, then the 6th Wisconsin, next the 19th In- 
diana, and lastly the 'Zth Wisconsin. 

Scarcely had our lines been formed before the rebel in- 
fantry began to advance, pouring a terrible fire of musketry 
into our ranks, and repeatedly attempting to charge on our 
battery. It was a hotly contested fight ; for over an hour 
these four regiments were under a storm of ball and buck- 
shot, fired by a whole division of the enemy, and never 
yielded an inch. Colonel Conner fell, mortally wounded ; 
others dropped fast, and the ranks seemed to melt away 
under the fire. The rebels repeatedly advanced in over- 
whelming numbers, and were as often driven back by the 
steady fire of these Western regiments, until night closed 
the scene and both parties retired from the field. As the 
fight was about to close, Doubleday's Brigade came up to 
the support of Gibbons' ; it consequently lost but a few of 
its numbers. All night the surgeons worked hard and 
earnestly, attending to the w-ounded. Amputations suc- 
ceeded each other in rapid succession, until the gray dawn 
of the morning broke in through the windows of the tem- 
porary hospitals. Among the few benefits derived from the 



232 LEAVES FEOM THE 

war, is the marked improvement in military surgery. 
Some of the surgeons, who now skilfully perform the ne- 
cessary operations, and judiciously decline to amputate 
where a hope of saving the limb exists, were at the com- 
mencement of the rebellion inadequate to the positions 
they occupied. On Friday morning the weary men of 
this division started for Manassas, having fought an en- 
tire division, under Ewell, who had been wounded in 
the leg. In the afternoon the division returned to the field 
of yesterday, and found Sigel's and Reynolds' divisions 
sheUing the enemy. As the brigades of Hatch, Doubleday, 
and Patrick moved off to the left to the aid of Sigel and 
Reynolds, an order arrived from McDowell for the division 
to proceed to the right, and pursue the enemy, said to be 
retreating. Although this was known to be an error, the 
order was promptly obeyed, and the brigade of General 
Hatch hastened up the road until it approached a ridge, 
where the regiments were deployed in line of battle, and 
moved rapidly up the slope to the left. Suddenly a sheet 
of fire burst on them from the right and left, at close range, 
checking their advance and causing a momentary panic. 
At this juncture General Hatch rode along the line and 
restored order. It was now getting dark, and the field 
presented a view of unequalled grandeur. The fire of the 
enemy kept up incessantly a steady sheet of flame, blazing 
away from the ridge — now advancing and then receding — 
enveloping our troops completely, and mowing down the 
men by scores. General Hatch's horse was shot under 
him; his assistant adjutant-general, Captain Judson, was 
captured; one of his aids. Lieutenant Lyon, was dis- 
mounted. It being found impossible to carry the enemy's 
position, and the regiments having been terribly thinned, 
orders were given to retire, and the division gradually fell 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 233 

back for the night, leaving many of the killed and wounded 
on the field. Saturday morning the enemy had disap- 
peared, every thing was perfectly quiet, and not the le^^st 
indication of another eno^ao-ement was to be seen. Sud- 
denly the rebels w^ere discovered upon our right ; and in a 
few moments it w^as found that they had moved around to 
a position at right-angles with that held by them on Friday. 
Our line immediately swung round, and the engagement 
commenced. After some hard fighting, the enemy suc- 
ceeded in turning our left : bringing his batteries rapidly, 
one by one, still further around, near our rear, he com- 
pelled us to withdraw from the fight, though we retained a 
portion of the field. During those three days' fight, our 
loss in killed, wounded, and missing was unusually heavy, 
though our troops fought well against superior numbers. 
Every effort was made to remove our wounded, but many 
had to be left on the field. Our paroled prisoners say they 
were well treated by the rebel officers, but that their men 
treated them shamefully. General Jackson sent within 
our lines the hat, sword, watch, spurs, and other personal 
eff*ects of Major Barny of the 24th New York, and issued 
an order permitting our paroled prisoners to bring back 
with them the private effects of their comrades Idlled on the 
field. The enemy captured several hundred new uniforms 
of the Brooklyn 14th, and distributed them among their 
artillery. 

The Behels cross the Potomac. 

It is believed the rebels have crossed the Potomac in 
force, this side of Point of Rocks. Jackson has entered 
Leesburg with his troops, and is pushing on for Harper's 
Ferry. Longstreet with his corjDs is marching in the same 
direction. They are well supported with artillery. Many 



23i LEAVES FKOM THE 

of tke inhabitants along the route are escaping to Mary- 
land. Others have, while attempting to do so, been 
awested by the Confederates and imprisoned. Night be- 
fore last, a rebel battery arrived at Edwards' Ferry and 
fired on the boats on the river. The rebels announce their 
intention of crossing the river at three points and march- 
ing into Pennsylvania, with the intention of capturing 
Harrisburg. All our wounded that were in the hospitals 
at Warrenton have arrived at Alexandria, after a perilous 
and tedious journey of four days, part by railroad, and part 
by wagons ; and passed close to where the battle was ra- 
ging for miles. They came in charge of Dr. Haynes, and 
escaped molestation. 

Visit to the Bull Run Battle-field. 

We had some interesting experience within the enemy's 
lines since the recent battles. Several of us surgeons went 
in buggies to the field after the long train of ambulances 
liad started, under a flag of truce, on Monday morning, 
for the purpose of bringing in our wounded. When we had 
gone about a mile beyond the stone house which had been 
used as a hospital during the first battle of Bull Run, and 
which stands on the Warrenton turnpike beyond the stone 
bridge, we established a depot on the hill, and sent out the 
ambulances all over the field. The rebel pickets, on meet- 
ing with them and learning their business, passed them 
without hesitation. Half of the day was spent in examin- 
ing the battle-field of Saturday, and caring for the wound- 
ed we found. After passing the rebel pickets we met a 
whole brigade of cavalry stationed on the Warrenton road, 
and large parties of their infantry, all of whom passed us in 
silence. The part of the field which most claimed our at- 
tention was upon the right of our lines, where General 



DIAEY OF AN AEMY SURGEON. 235 

Hatch's Brigade, of Kearney's division, had been en- 
gaged. During the battle this brigade had lain behind a 
piece of woods, having skirmishers thrown forward to its 
edge. In front there is a j^lain about a quarter of a mile 
wide, and an ascending slope, crowned by a rail-fence ; be- 
hind it is an excavation, through which the Manassas Gap 
railroad passes. Behind this fence, and within the excava- 
tion, there had been posted a large force of the enemy, to 
attack whom Hatch's brigade had been moved over this 
extensive plain and up the ascending slope. From the 
point where they emerged out of the woods and moved up 
the hill, the ground was thickly strewn with the dead. 
When our line had been formed, it was open to a destruc- 
tive fire from the rebel artillery and infantry, which mowed 
down our ranks, so that the dead lay in one continuous 
line where they fell. Here and there, under a tree, or the 
shadow of a rock, we saw grouj^s of men who had been 
wounded, most of whom died unsuccored, while an occa- 
sional one was living still. The rail-fence, in front of which 
our line of battle had been formed, was blown to pieces 
and scattered by the enemy's grape and canister — the rails 
being perforated by bullets. On the other side of the rail- 
road-cut a group of rebels w^ere employed burying their 
own dead, with whom we had some conversation. They 
treated us politely, and offered to accompany us through 
the woods in search of our wounded, many of whom said 
they had been well treated by the enemy. In passing 
along the railroad excavation to a point where it was fol- 
lowed by an embankment, we found eighty-five of our 
dead ; these we had covered by the levelling of the embank- 
ment over them, as the most expeditious mode of burial. 
We came up with a party of our wounded under the shade 
of some trees and a negro cabin, in which a number were 



236 LEAVES FEOM THE 

being cared for. There were about sixty, officers and men, 
all badly wounded, in these places; among them, was a 
lieutenant of the 30th New York, whose spinal column 
had been seriously injured by a rille-ball ; he was com- 
pletely paralyzed, and could not be removed. The rebels 
who accompanied us during our search were quite commu- 
nicative; they seemed to know all about our army, its 
strength, and condition. They said their marches to reach 
the battle were long and harassing, their food, though 
often indifferent, was plentiful, and their confidence in 
Generals Jackson, Lee, and Longstreet, unbounded. They 
stated they had no doubt of soon clearing Virginia of the 
Union army, and carrying the war into Maryland and 
Pennsylvania. After going over a large portion of the 
ground, and making complete arrangements for the dis- 
covery of all the wounded and the burial of the dead, we 
returned to the depot, and performed some of the necessary 
operations. With the aid of the other surgeons, all that 
had been brouglit to the depot were cared for. Next 
morning we did not see any of the enemy but a few cav- 
alry videttes on commanding points. 

The medical director of the rebel forces informed our 
ambulance drivers this forenoon that the place must be 
cleared as soon as practicable, and those of the wounded 
who had not been sent away should be brought down to 
the stone house to be paroled. As this would necessarily 
occupy several hours, I drove down the road across Bull 
Run by the ford, below the stone bridge, meeting occa- 
sionally two or three of the rebel soldiers. In a meadow, near 
the Run, I saw another hospital depot, and our men en- 
gaged in burying a number of the dead. All over the 
identical battle-ground of the first Bull Run, our dead lay 
thickly scattered, after the second fight, as far as the eye 



DIARY OF AN AKMT SURGEON. 237 

could reach, side by side with the fast-decomposing car- 
casses of horses and mules, broken caissons and fragments of 
shells, and but one cannon. Further on, I met some of the 
enemy's pickets, who were now inquisitive as to my objects, 
and closely scrutinized my dress. I had on a linen blouse 
over my uniform, which they wished to see, evidently 
doubting my being a surgeon ; but I soon satisfied them 
on this point, and proceeded on for half a mile, when I 
again met another hosj^ital containing about sixty more of 
our wounded, under the charge of Dr. Berry ville, who in- 
formed me that our troops had evacuated Centreville and 
that the rebels had taken possession of it. I proceeded, 
however, passing many dead artillery horses, and a quantity 
of rifle ammunition. On reaching Centreville, I was met 
by a rebel oflicer, who inquired my name and business, and 
told me to consider myself a prisoner; but on claiming the 
exemption of surgeons from arrest, I was, after a few 
hours' delay, permitted to proceed by the provost-marshal, 
who was busily engaged in placing guards over the medical 
stores left by our surgeons for the use of the sick. He 
stated it as his^tention of protecting them for the Con- 
federate government, whose proj)erty he declared they 
had become, expressing his willingness to issue whatever 
medicines were absolutely required for our wounded, but 
said "he wanted none of our d d Federal extrava- 
gance !" At two o'clock, on Tuesday, we left Centreville 
for Fairfax Court-house. On the road we met several of 
the enemy's pickets, who allowed us to proceed, on present- 
ing their provost-marshal's pass; but, on reaching our own 
cavalry pickets, we had considerable difficulty to get 
through, and had to wait their sending back to head- 
quarters, at Fairfax Court-house, for instructions for our 
admission within our hues. We noticed that the enemy 



238 LEAVES FEOM THE 

had but a small force at Centreville. We met on the road 
the colonel of a Massachusetts regiment and over twenty 
of his men, all unarmed. They said they had got sepa- 
rated from their regiment in the battle of Monday, and 
had been since lying out in the woods, without food, en- 
deavoring to evade the rebel pickets. They were on their 
way to Centreville, and would soon have been arrested ; 
but, on learning their mistake, they again took to the 
woods, and reached our lines in safety. 

On arrival at Fairfax Court-house, we found General 
Couch with his division, and some cavalry regiments, cov- 
ering the rear of our army. From Fairfax to Alexandria 
the road was filled with our men, marching in good order 
to Alexandria, at which place we arrived that night. 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 289 



CHAPTEU XXIII. 

REBEL ADVANCE ON FREDERICK, MARYLAND. 

The rebels having crossed the Potomac, their forces 
occupy the north bank of Seneca Creek, their line extend- 
ing to Middlebrook, on the road between Washington 
and Frederick, the capital of Maryland. The Union forces 
that had occupied Frederick have fallen back to Harper's 
Ferry. Friday afternoon the rebel j^ickets extended as far 
as New Market, eight miles southeast of Frederick, the 
Union pickets having been withdrawn to sixteen miles 
from that place. The rebels got possession of several cars 
loaded with pontoon bridges. Many of the Southern sym- 
pathizers of Baltimore, and other places, are joining the 
rebels, but there is no general uprising of the people, as 
they evidently expected. On Saturday morning the rebel 
cavalry arrived at the Frederick junction of the Baltimore 
and Ohio railroad, cut the telegraph, and carried awaj the 
operator and his instruments. They did not molest any 
one else, nor was there a shot exchanged between them 
and the Federal guard at the bridge over the Monocacy, 
which retired on their approach. Later in the day their 
infantry arrived and took possession of the bridge, throwing 
out pickets in all directions. Another body of the rebels, 
5000 strong, crossed the Potomac yesterday afternoon. Gen. 
McClellan sent forward some cavalry, under Colonel Pleas- 
anton, to Poolesville, to reconnoitre from that point back 
to Frederick, and ascertained that the enemy is not in 



2^0 LEAVES FROM THE 

force. Last night our forces occupied six miles further 
out, and continue to-day to advance. The rebel force that 
passed through Frederick on their way west, is variously 
estimated from fifteen to lifty thousand. It is thought this 
raid is not alone for the purpose of obtaining suj)plies, but 
to induce General McClellan to draw his forces from the 
defence of Washington to pursue them, and thus give their 
army in Virginia an opj^ortunity of advancing on the capi- 
tal. Our force at Harper's Ferry is large enough to hold 
at bay an army of twenty thousand until the arrival 
of McClellan. The intelligence of this morning indi- 
cates that a division of the rebel army has taken a western 
course towards Hagerstown, the inhabitants of which have 
fled to Chambersburg, though that town has not as yet 
been occupied by the rebels. By moving on Hagerstown 
from Frederick, the enemy virtually turns his back on Bal- 
timore and Washington, but will then be within seven 
miles of the Potomac at Williamsport. The enemy's 
cavalry is scouring on the borders of York county, Penn- 
sylvania. No further movements have been made by the 
enemy, with the exception of scouting parties being sent out 
in the direction of Hagerstown. A body of rebels have 
also crossed the Potomac at Nolan d's ford, and marched on 
Buckeyston, five miles from Point of Rocks. They are 
sadly in want of clothing and shoes, a greater part of their 
cavalry and infantry being barefooted. Their advance- 
giiard, during the night, camped at White Oak Springs, 
three miles from Frederick. During their march they 
seized all the cattle and provisions they could find, but paid 
for it in Virginia and South Carolina money, or United 
States treasury notes, and generally treated the people 
well, declaring they came as friends and not as enemies. 
They destroyed the culvert of the Chesapeake and Ohio 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SUEGPZON. 241 

canal, thus cutting off navigation with Washington. 
Another division of their forces crossed the Potomac on 
Friday night, near Berhn, consisting of cavahy, infantry, 
and artillery, and made a junction with the other forces at 
White Oak Springs. On Friday evening the people of 
Frederick heard that this force was collecting cattle and 
sheep from the farmers. This caused great excitement, as 
the wliole mihtary force left in the city consisted of one 
company, under command of the provost-marshal, who, 
on learning these facts, at once commenced to have the 
wagons loaded with the most valuable of the stores, leaving 
sufficient for the use of the six hundred patients in the hos- 
pitals there — the balance were set fire to, to prevent their 
falling into the enemy's hands. This conflagration, as 
might be expected, increased the excitement, and many of 
the citizens at once left the city, by every mode of convey- 
ance, and during the night thousands departed, blocking 
up the roads to Baltimore and Pennsylvania. Many of the 
convalescent patients in the hospitals also left, and becom- 
ing exhausted on the w\ay, w^ere afforded shelter by the 
farmers. The rebels entered Frederick at ten in the morn- 
ing, to the number of twenty thousand, and marched quietly 
into Market-street, where they were halted, and a procla- 
mation issued, of which I subjoin a copy. The people 
were informed that their persons and property would be 
respected, and that any suj)plies taken for their troops 
would be paid for. They appointed a provost-marshal, 
with a strong guard to preserve order. During the after- 
noon the streets were thronged with the rebel soldiers, 
visiting the stores, that had been closed, but which their 
provost-marshal ordered to be opened. They made large 
l^urchases, for which they promptly paid, and preserved 
the strictest order. In the evening a meeting was called, 

11 



242 LEAVES FROM THE ^ 

at which Bradley Johnson delivered a most conciliatory- 
speech : lie asserted the ability of the Confederates to take 
Washington and Baltimore, and dictate terms of peace in 
Independence Hall at Philadelphia. The following is the 
proclamation : 

TO THE PEOPLE OF MARYLAND. 

Head-quarters Army of Northern Virginia, 
near Frederick, September 8, 1863. 

It is right you should know the purpose that has brought 
the army under my command within the limits of your 
State, so far as that purpose concerns yourselves. The 
peojjle of the Confederate States have long watched, with 
the deepest sympathy, the wrongs and outrages that have 
been inflicted upon the citizens of a commonwealth allied 
to the States of the South by the strongest social, political, 
and commercial ties, and reduced to the condition of a 
conquered province. Under the pretence of supporting 
the Constitution, but in violation of its most valuable pro- 
vision, your citizens have been arrested and imprisoned, 
upon no charge, and contrary to all the forms of law. A 
faithful and manly protest against this outrage, made by a 
venerable and illustrious Mary lander, to whom in better 
days no citizen appealed for right in vain, was treated with 
scorn and contempt. The government of your chief city 
has been usurped by armed strangers, your Legislature has 
been dissolved by the unlawful arrest of its members, free- 
dom of the press and of speech has been suppressed, words 
have been declared ofi*ences by an arbitrary decree of the 
Federal Executive, and citizens ordered to be tried by 
military commission for what they may dare to speak. 
Believing that the people of Maryland possess a spirit too 
lofty to submit to such a government, the people of the 



DIAEY OF AN AKMY SURGEON. 24:3 

South have long wished to aid you in throwing off this 
foreign yoke, to enable you again to enjoy the inalienable 
rights of freemen, and restore the independence and the 
sovereignty of your State. In obedience to this wish, our 
army has come among you, and is prepared to assist you 
with the power of its arms in regaining the rights of which 
you have been so unjustly despoiled. This, citizens of 
Maryland, is our mission so far as you are concerned. No 
restraint upon your free will is intended — no intimidation 
wall be allowed, w^ithin the limits of this army at least. 
Marylanders shall once more enjoy their ancient freedom 
of thought and speech. We know no enemies among you, 
and will protect all of you in every opinion. It is for you 
to decide your destiny, freely and witliout constraint. This 
army will respect your choice, whatever it may be, and 
while the Southern i^eople will rejoice to welcome you to 
your natural position among them, they will only welcome 
you when you come of your own free will. 

R. E. Lee, General Commanding. 

Many of the citizens of Frederick, who sympathized 
with the South, attended this meeting, but the Unionists 
who remained in the city kept to their houses. At ten 
o'clock all the Confederate soldiers were ordered to their 
camps on the outskirts of the town, and soon all was again 
quiet. The Federal flags were lowered, and the Confeder- 
ate stars and bars were hoisted in their stead. Most of 
their ofiicers were quartered at the hotels and private 
houses. All the cattle seized by the rebels in the sur- 
rounding country, were immediately driven towards the 
Potomac. 

There is now but little doubt that the whole of the Con- 
federate army are crossing the Potomac. They have 



24:4: LEAVES FROM THE 

extended their pickets for twenty miles on the roads lead- 
ing east and west from Frederick. Their main column is 
moving direct for Pennsylvania, through Hagerstown and 
Chambersburg, to Harrisburg. The inhabitants of the two 
former places are fleeing, there being no Union forces to 
protect them. General McClellan has advanced his head- 
quarters beyond Rockville. His army is approaching the 
Monocacy river, some of the bridges over which have been 
destroyed by the enemy. At half past seven o'clock last 
evening, the rebels made a raid into Westminster, about 
five hundred strong, with two pieces of artillery, but aban- 
doned it this forenoon, marching towards Uniontown. 
While at Westminster, they destroyed the books of the 
provost-marshal, and those that contained the names of 
persons enrolled as liable to do military duty. They took 
possession of the post-ofiice, and carried away all the post- 
age-stamps. They treated the inhabitants with respect 
and consideration. They made large purchases, and paid 
promptly, even for the food for their horses. Colonel Rosser, 
who was in command of their cavalry, rode a horse which 
had belonged to General Pope. Many recruits joined 
them, but none were accepted unless armed and equipped. 

Xoss of Harper's Ferry. 

This morning, at daylight. General Pleasanton, with the 
8th Illinois cavalry, and Captain Fitchall's battery, started 
after the enemy. At Boonesboro' he came up with the 9th 
Virginia cavalry, with a battery acting as a rear-guard. 
The Illinois cavalry charged after them through the town, 
and two miles out, on the Hagerstown turnpike, capturing 
two of their guns, and killed, wounded, or took pris- 
oners about thirty of them. General Richardson's divi- 
sion, being in advance, took the road from this place 



DIAEY OF AN ARMY SUKGEON. 245 

towards Sharpsburg, two miles and a half from which 
town he came up with the enemy, in large force, who occu- 
pied a long range of hills. They showed a line of battle 
a mile and a half long. The afternoon was spent in 
ascertaining the position and force of the rebels, not a suffi- 
cient number of our troops having come up to bring on an 
engagement. During last night the larger part of the army 
arrived on the ground. It is now nine o'clock, and no 
engagement has taken place. The rebels are rapidly moving 
across the river. The receipt of intelligence confirming the 
loss of Harper's Ferry, and the absence of dispatches from 
General McClellan, throughout the early part of the day, 
cast a gloom upon the community, which was relieved at 
a late hour to-night, by the news of the hasty evacuation 
of Harper's Ferry by the rebels. This is considered to be 
sufficient evidence that General McClellan is progressing 
successfully, and that the whole of the rebel army, includ- 
ing the captors of Harper's Ferry, are involved in the rout. 
Up to late this evening few of the wounded, in Sunday's 
battle, had arrived at Frederick. They have, probably, 
been provided for at Middletown and Boonesboro. A hun- 
dred and eight prisoners, captured along with General 
Longstreet's baggage train, by the cavalry that cut their 
way through from Harper's Ferry, arrived here this morn- 
ing, and fifty more have reached Chambersburg. 



246 LEAVES FKOM THE 



CHAPTER XXIY. 

BATTLE OF SOUTH MOUNTAIN. 

There is a report to-day, September 13th, that a battle 
is raging south of Hagerstown, between the Union forces 
Jind the rebels, under Stonewall Jackson. The cannonading 
was heard at Hanover and Charabersburg, this morning, 
proceeding, evidently, from an action between McClellan's 
forces and the rebels, at South Mountain. The heaviest 
part of the fighting was done by the 9th army corps, under 
General Reno, who was shot dead. General Burnside was 
also on the field, and assisted in the direction and command 
of the troops. The fight commenced early in the morning, 
and lasted until nine at night. The Union loss is over 
twelve hundred, killed and wounded. The enemy's loss is 
much heavier, and differently stated. The forces, on both 
sides, fought with great bravery. The position of the 
rebels was very strong, and required repeated efforts to 
dislodge them. Their artillery was advantageously posted 
and did great execution on our ranks ; but the determined 
charges of our men triumphed. We took a large number 
of prisoners. Among the enemy's loss, there are many 
officers. The rebel General Lee is reported wounded, and 
General Garland killed. They are hurriedly retreating 
for the river. The right wing of the Union army was 
opposed by Hill and Longstreet. The left, commanded by 
Franklin, was equally victorious. 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 247 

The Field of Battle. 

From Middletown the road runs in a westerly direction 
through a rather rongh country, and strikes the abrupt 
rise of the mountain, at about three miles from the town. 
It here becomes very steep and stony; in some places the 
hill lises considerably above the road, on either side, form- 
ing a gulch rather than a road. High and rough as the 
country is at this point, it is fenced, and near the summit of 
the mountain, at a point where the sides of the road are 
considerably higher than the road itself, a good stone wall 
runs around from the road to the right at right-angles, and 
crosses the field to the wood. A short distance beyond, 
a lane leaves the road from the left at a right-angle, and 
on either side of this lane there is a low stone wall with 
one rail above it. This spot, intersected by the road and 
the three stone walls, was the scene of action. 

From an early hour in the day two 20-pounders on a ridge 
below the mountain had shelled the various parts of the 
mountain's side, where the rebels were supposed to be, and 
at 9 A. M. a portion of General Cox's division went for- 
ward as skirmishers, and drove the rebels from the lower 
part of the mountain. This was followed by artillery firing 
on both sides, which ended in many of the enemy's guns 
being silenced. Early in the afternoon. General Scara- 
mon's Brigade — the 12th, 23d, and 36th Ohio regiments 
— was sent forward up the mountain, and deployed in the 
rough ground to the right of the road, while the 45th 
Pennsylvania was deployed to the left of it; on its left the 
48th Pennsylvania was formed. All this time the rebels 
lay concealed behind the two stone walls to the left of the 
road, where they had posted a battery, which played upon 
our men, as they advanced, with terrible effect. Notwith- 



248 LEAVES FEOM THE 

standing this, our men pushed up the hill and over the 
difficult ground to the left of the road. On one side the 
45th Pennsylvania carried the position, but with terrible 
loss ; on the other, the Ohio boys were repulsed in their 
first advance, and were driven back. They, however, soon 
rallied, returned to the charge and carried the position. 
All around this point the dead lay thickly strewn, and also 
down the lane where the Pennsylvanians fought. At 
nightfall the Ohio boys were relieved by the 51st New 
York, 51st Pennsylvania, 21st and 35th Massachusetts, un- 
der command of Colonel Ferrero, who held the summit of 
the mountain. Soon after dark the rebels made a deter- 
mined attempt to regain their position, but were driven back 
by these regiments, who held the field during the night. 
On the other side of the hill, the iVth Michigan, a new 
regiment, was engaged with a part of the enemy's force in 
the woods. They employed the stone-wall tactics, and 
delivered their fire from behind this barrier with telling 
eff*ect, cutting up a regiment of the rebels so severely they 
could not be rallied. The rebel force engaged, during this 
fight, was part of the division of General D. H. Hill, and 
part of Longstreet's, — these latter were brought eight miles 
on the double-quick to the battle. On the folte^^u^day, 
at Clayton's Pass, five miles south of this engagement, and 
near the town of Burkittsville, a portion of Franklin's corps 
— Slocum's division — not over 6000, engaged the rebels 
under General McLaws. It was a brief and decisive action. 
The enemy was driven from the town on the eastern slope of 
the Catocin mountain, across the hill, and lost over 400 killed 
and wounded, and 500 taken prisoners. The Union loss was 
under 300. The town of Burkittsville is situated about four 
miles southwest of Middletown. It is a pleasant village of 
neat brick houses, with one or two handsome churches. 



DIAEY OF AN AKMY SUEGEON. 249 

General Franklin arrived near the town with his corps 
on Sunday afternoon, and at one sent forward General 
Slociim's division : two regiments of Bartlett's Brigade, 
the 5th Maine, and 96th Pennsylvania, were sent out as 
skirmishers through the village and up the lower slopes of 
the mountain, driving the enemy's pickets before them. 
On the slopes they were supported by the 16th and 27th 
New York, which steadily advanced, fighting all the way, 
until the enemy's main body was found, which was admi- 
rably posted on the eastern slope of the Catocin mountain, 
at Clayton's Gap. The road here is narrow, and winds up 
the mountain in long reaches, which could be so swept by 
grape-shot that nothing on it could live. Apart from this 
road, the side of the mountain is so steep and rocky that 
it is only with great difficulty one can climb it. The enemy 
had availed himself of every advantage of his position. At 
the foot of the steep part of this hill his infantry was 
posted, behind stone walls, and also on other parts of the 
mountain ; and the only part where an attempt could be 
made to scale the place was swept by eight pieces of artil- 
lery. 

Notwithstanding the desperate nature of the 'under- 
taking, it was determined to attack without delay, and 
Newton's Brigade, of Slocum's division, was ordered up to 
strike the main blow ; while Kearney's old brigade, com- 
posed of the 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th New Jersey regiments, 
under command of Colonel Talbot, was ordered to sujDport 
General New^ton. Simultaneously with this movement, 
General Brook's Brigade of Smith's division was sent 
to skirmish the mountain, and advance upon the extreme 
right flank of the enemy. It had a long way to go, 
and thus the battle was a single straight-forward attack, 
by Slocum's division, with a contingency on the rebel flank 

11* 



250 LEAVES FROM THE 

in case they met with great difficulty. As Newton's Bri- 
gade moved forward there was not a straggler to be seen. 
All seemed equally eager for the fray, and intent on victory. 
Men never went into an action with better spirit, which 
was shown through the whole battle. The obstructions 
in the line of advance were of great advantage to the 
enemy, and consisted of six-rail fences and two stone w^alls, 
all of which had to be crossed, the enemy playing fear- 
fully with their artillery all the time. The stone walls 
were all held by the enemy's infantry, who were ultimately 
driven from them by our troops at the point of the bayonet. 
Soon after this advance began, General Newton, seeing that 
the rebels were started, ordered forward the other two bri- 
gades of Slocum's division, to advance with his own. On- 
ward they pushed, the enemy flying and fighting, until they 
reached the foot of the steep declivity, where they, appar- 
ently, expected to make their best defence. It is hardly 
possible to conceive how this position could have been 
carried; but it was, with little delay and loss by our 
men. After the battle, it was found that it was a work oi 
no small difficulty to climb the precipitous side of the hill. 
Yet our boys struggled up, with courage, while the foe 
above poured dowm upon them a perfect storm of balls, and 
drove him from the very summit of the hill, flying down 
the further side in one wild and confused mass. A large 
number of prisoners were taken, especially from the bri- 
gades of Howell Cobb and Semmes. Nearly the whole ol 
the Cobb Legion were captured, with their colors, on which 
is inscribed, " Cobb Legion — in the name of the Lord." 
The colors of the 16th Virginia regiment were also taken. 
The field of battle presented a much less torn-up appear 
ance than usual, which can be accounted for by the fact 
that artillery was not much used on either side. The stony 



DIARY OF AN ARYlY SUILGEON. 251 

and steep slope of the hill was thickly strewn Avith the 
dead. The rebels had to abandon one of their guns, which 
fell into the hands of the Union troops ; and such was the 
suddenness and boldness of the charge, that it was with 
difficulty they saved their remaining pieces. Tlie removal 
of the wounded from the field, after the close of the action, 
was one of the most impressive pictures of the day. Tlie 
road leading to the Gap was filled with long and winding 
lines of ambulances, going and returning. As fast as the 
men could be placed in the ambulances, they were removed 
to the principal private-houses in Burkittsville, and their 
wounds dressed. Many had to remain where they fell all 
night, and the impossibility of attending to them promptly, 
cost many a life. 

The inhabitants of Burkittsville opened their houses 
with alacrity for the reception of the wounded, and offered 
the kindest attentions to the sufferers. The surgeons were 
busy all night, and the most painful operations were sub- 
mitted to without a murmur. As soon as they are able to 
bear removal they will be sent to Frederick, where ar- 
rangements are made for the reception of 1000 patients. 
The rebel wounded w^ere nearly all taken to the Baptist 
church in Burkittsville, which has been converted into a 
temporary hospital, where they receive the same attention 
as our men, at which they express their surprise and grati- 
tude. On the battle-field, bodies of the dead lay about in 
every direction, and in every imaginable position. Here 
fell an officer, sword in hand, urging on his men ; one was 
drinking from his canteen as the fatal bullet j^ierced his 
brain ; another, in the act of discharging his piece ; and 
others, while loading- their muskets. Most of the killed 
were shot in the head, which is owing to the elevated po- 
sition on which the enemy was posted. General Howell 



252 LEAVES FROM THE 

Cobb commanded a brigade in McLaws' division, and led 
bis brigade into action. He was wounded in the leg. 

The Cobb Legion, commanded by his brother, was ter- 
ribly cut up : but few of its number came out of the action 
alive. Seeing our men advancing upon them up the moun- 
tain's side, the order was given to push down from their 
position and repel us. Instead of remaining behind tlie 
stone wall, and taking advantage of it as a protection 
against our fire, they madly leaped the wall, and, with a 
yell, rushed on our advance column. It was a madness 
that led them to death. Besides the fire of our advance 
column, they sufiered from an enfilading fire on both sides. 
Several rebel ofticers were killed, and many taken prison- 
ers. General Newton and his brigade acted with coolness 
and bravery. He was in the thickest of the fight, and his 
men climbed up the steep rocky sides of the mountain 
with unflinching bravery. The loss of the brigade, con- 
sidering the severity of the action, is very small. The 2d 
brigade of Stevens' division, under Colonel Bartlett, was 
alike conspicuous for its courage and steadiness. Colonel 
Matthewson and Major Lawson were both wounded. The 
latter had reached the top of the mountain before being- 
disabled. 

General Smith's division pushed on after the enemy, who 
retreated for some distance, and shelled their rear ; but as 
no stand was made they returned, on account of the news 
having reached them of the fall of Harper's Ferry. On 
the right, at some distance, heavy cannonading has been 
heard, which probably proceeds from Sumner's corps, en- 
gaged with the enemy. As no eflbrt was made by the 
rebels to recover their" dead after the battle, orders were 
issued for their interment. The wounded in the houses at 
Burkittsville are all .doing well ; but few deaths have oc- 



DIAKY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 253 

ciirred since their removal from the field. The rebel 
wounded are chiefly injured in the lower extremities, and 
'one or two of them positively refused to submit to tlie 
necessary operation, preferring death, the inevitable conse- 
quence of their obstinacy, to the supposed suffering of an 
amputation. One very remarkable case, of a gunshot 
wound through the loins, came under my notice. The 
patient, though quite sensible, was entirely free from pain, 
notwithstanding the wound would prove mortal, and pro- 
duced total paralysis of both legs. 

Operations of the 'dth Ari7iy Corjys. 

Tlie scene of the reception of our troops in Frederick 
was one of exciting joy fulness, but, if possible, was excelled 
when they started in pursuit of the rebels on the following 
day. For hours the long lines of men, horses, and artil- 
lery, kept passing through the town, and it was not until 
near midnight that the monster military procession had 
drawn to a close. The citizens hailed them as performing, 
or about to perform, the double task of preserving the 
country and driving from the soil of Maryland the rebels 
who had come to conquer and despoil them, or to tamper 
with their loyalty ; but they were not easily to be moved. 
The brief stay of the Southerners in Frederick is the rea- 
son they assign for the failure of its citizens to join their 
army. The 9th army corps proceeded to Middletown, a 
small village, beautifully situated in a valley about eight 
miles from Frederick, where they learned that the enemy 
occupied the Catocin mountain in force (a description of 
which is given in the previous chapter), and that they were 
strengthening their position, with the avowed intention of 
resisting any attack that might be made upon them by our 
forces. It was known that they had a large body of men, 



254 LEAVES FROM THE 

but tlie idea prevailed thattliey would not raake any decided 
stand until tliey reached Boonesboro' or Hagerstown. On 
the night of the 13th September, the troops removed a 
little distance from the town, wliere they encamped for the 
night, ready and willing for any work they would be called 
on to do on the following day. The new regiments were 
all anxiety, the old ones confident that success would be 
theirs, while fighting under McClellan and Burnside, even 
though opposed by Jackson, Lee, and Longstreet, with 
their daring and desperate troops : their night's rest was not 
broken or disturbed by any forebodings of defeat, and the 
morning found them eager for the contest. The day broke 
fine, but with the appearance of coming rain, which ren- 
dered the air cool and pleasant, and well suited for an 
engagement. At an. early hour, the booming of guns told 
that the artillery had resumed the contest begun the pre- 
A^ious evening, but which was now destined to be attended 
with far more important results than before. The men 
were soon marching to the scene of action. It was a splen- 
did pageant — the long lines of infantry, unattended by 
wagons, and consequently unbroken, passing over the hills 
in a steady and solid column. On approaching nearer, the 
reports of the artillery became more distinct, and the 
wreaths of smoke that rose after each discharge, showed 
at a glance the relative positions of our own and the ene- 
my's batteries. The rebels were apparently holding back 
their fire, so as to use it with effect against our infantry 
when they were attacked by it : this, their usual wise plan, 
told severely upon some of our poor fellows. The position 
was well chosen, and with all possible reference to military 
advantages. Situated on the slope of the mountain, covered 
with woods, it was splendidly calculated for masked bat- 
teries, and those surprises, for which the rebels have become 



PTARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 255 

SO famous. The road ascending the side of the raonntaiu 
was steep and narrow, and so filled with large stones that 
quick locomotion ^yafi impossible, and a charge a difficult 
thing to execute. The enemy also had a series of breast- 
high stone fences, that had been built by the farmers. 
Behind these they could fortify themselves, and pour volley 
after volley into any opposing force, while they were com- 
paratively free from danger, being able to drop and load 
as soon as they fired. They had also cut down the trees 
in the immediate vicinity of these fences, to as to leave an 
open space, that must be crossed by the attacking force 
before they were dislodged. In these natural fortifications 
they possessed great odds ; and without good officers and 
men, it would have taken a much larger force than that we 
employed to dislodge them. But our men went there that 
morning determined not to fail. 

The fight, properly speaking, began on Sunday morning, 
our troops forcing their way to the top of the mountain 
known as South or Seared mountain, one of the Catocin 
group, by a road situated a little to the left of what is known 
as the National road, and thus drove the rebels back, step 
by step. At three o'clock the greater part of the corps was 
fully engaged, and fought desperately until seven, when the 
enemy was fairly driven back, leaving their dead and 
W'Ounded on the field. By nine o'clock the summit of the 
hill was entirely in our possession, and the rebels, under 
cover of the darkness, left for j^arts unknown, and all 
firing ceased in that quarter. They w^ere not closely 
pursued, for fear of mistaking our own men for them. 
The most daring fighting was done by Cox's division, as 
before described, — their splendid bayonet charge, made 
upon the rebel intrenchments, behind the stone walls, 
though warmly received by a shower of bullets, was irre- 



256 LEAVES FEOM THE 

sistible. They continued to push on; and though many- 
fell dead and wounded, still the rest heeded it not, but 
kept on their avenging course, like a destroying avalanche, 
and, with a yell, rushed on to surmount the obstacles, killing 
the enemy right and left, who could not stand the cold 
steel. After making a feeble resistance, they broke and 
retreated as fast as possible, leaving a number of wounded 
and some prisoners in their victors' hands, which were at 
once sent to the rear. The regiments that achieved this 
gallant exploit were the 11th, 12th, and 30th Ohio. The 
officers and men of these corps acted with unflinching 
bravery, and reflected credit on the whole division to which 
they belong. About noon. General Wilcox's division, 
composed of the brigades commanded by Acting Briga- 
diers Welch and Christ, was ordered to the support of 
Cox's division. They went forward to the ridge, where 
they found him, slowly, but surely, advancing on the left 
of the Sharpsburg road. The 50th Pennsylvania was sent 
to support him, and the balance of the division was formed 
on the right of the road, with Cook's battery planted oppo- 
site to a rebel battery that was stationed on the ridge. It 
opened with good efiect ; but there were other rebel bat- 
teries that had not, as yet, exposed their positions, but 
which now opened an enfilading fire on the left, from this 
central point of defence, commanding the road. Their first 
discharge disabled one of Cook's guns, killing and wound- 
ing four men, on which the battery retired. At this point 
the enemy appeared and threatened to charge, intending 
to capture Cook's battery. A rumor was now started 
among the men of Wilcox's division, that a large rebel 
cavalry force was coming down on them, which almost 
created a panic in the ranks. All this time they were 
under a heavy fire from the enemy's guns; grape and 



DIARY OF AN AKMY SURGEON. 257 

canister were flying about them in a most lively man- 
ner. The 79th New York was now sent to repel the 
expected charge, and the 17th Michigan was dispatched to 
their support. The division then changed front to left, and 
advanced again to the ridge. At about four o'clock the 
pickets reported that there was a battery, and two regi- 
ments supporting it, some little distance ahead, in the woods, 
when an order was received from General Reno to take it, if 
possible. A fitting reply Avas made to the order, and 
General Sturgis's command was sent to support General 
Wilcox. The enemy appeared to divine our intention, and 
also prepared to make a charge. It was now about five 
o'clock, and the charge was met by the 45th Pennsylvania, 
under Major Curtin, and the 17th Michigan, under Colonel 
Whittington. A desperate fight followed, both sides doing 
bravely, but the determined will of the Union soldiers 
prevailed, and the rebels were driven back with great loss. 
The charge was a splendid one, and cost the Union forces 
nearly four hundred, in killed and wounded. The two 
brigades under Ferrero and Nagle, of Sturgis's division, 
which had been ordered to the support of Wilcox, advanced 
on the left of the road, Ferrero's in advance. They met 
with determined opposition, and some hard fighting was 
done by them ; but the rebels were again obliged to fall 
back, leaving their wounded, and some prisoners, in our 
hands. During this the division of General Rodman was 
sent to scour the adjacent woods, around the base of the 
hill, on which Ferrero held his position under the most 
trying circumstances. The 51st New York and 51st Penn- 
sylvania contended, in the most heroic manner, against 
superior numbers. All of this brigade, from Colonel Fer- 
rero down, fully sustained the reputation they had earned 
through the Virginia campaign. 



258 LEAVES FROM THE 

The brigade of General Nagle was not actively engaged, 
but discharged the duty allotted to them with coolness and 
steady obedience. General Rodman's division did some 
hard fighting in the woods, and lost a number of men. 
Our victory, though complete, has been dearly won, as we 
have lost many brave fellows, as well as Major-general Reno, 
who commanded the 9th army corps, formerly under Gen. 
Burnside. All day General Reno had been most active, 
fearing no danger, and apparently at several places at one 
time. Up to seven o'clock he was safe, standing, with his 
staff, back of the woods in a field, in front of which were 
the rebels ; a body of his troops were before him, and at 
this point the enemy's fire was directed. A minie-ball 
struck him, and went through his body; he fell, and 
from that moment seemed to have a knowledge that he 
could not survive. He was at once carried to the rear and 
attended by his surgeon, Dr. Cutter. At the foot of the 
liill he was laid under a tree, where he died in a few min- 
utes. The officers of his staif exhibited the most sincere 
grief at his loss. Many wept over him, and vowed to avenge 
his death. He was one of the bravest generals in the ser- 
vice, respected and loved by all, and warmly attached 
to General Burnside, who will deeply deplore his loss and 
mourn his untimely end. The country can ill afford to lose 
such men as Kearney, Stevens, and Reno. The command 
at once devolved on General Cox, who ably directed the 
movements of the corps. It is difficult to determine the 
exact loss in the different divisions, brigades, and regi- 
ments, as to each; but our total loss is fully 1200. The 
enemy's loss is still greater. The roads and woods are 
thickly covered with their dead. Colonel Wild, of the 35th 
New York, was severely wounded in the arm ; Lieutenant 
Williams, 51st New York, wounded in the chest, and Lieu- 



DIARY OF AN ARMY STJRGEON. 259 

tenant Springweller, of the same regiment, was shot dead. 
The wounded were cared for in the temporary hospitals, 
the snrgeons working all night at their onerous tasks, do- 
ing all in their power to make them comfortable, which 
they seemed fully to appreciate, and but little complaint 
was heard, the poor fellows bearing their sufferings like 
martyrs. Some expressed their regret for loss of legs and 
arms, as it would disable them from duty. When all the 
wounded were dressed and cared for, they were sent 
further back in ambulances, where they could be better 
provided for. The proportion of killed is unusually small 
to the number wounded — the rebels must have had two 
for one of our killed, as from their position behind the 
stone walls, when struck it was mortal, being chiefly in the 
head or chest. The appearance of the field the morning 
after the fight was a terrible sight. In some places the 
dead were lying two or three deep. On the road or pass 
along which ran the stone walls, the dead lay thickly strewn. 
The death of many was so instantaneous that their arms 
were in position of firing their pieces, while others still re- 
tained the bitten cartridge in their hands. They appeared 
to be mostly young men, many of them mere boys. The 
difierence between the clothing of the Union and the rebel 
dead was very marked. The Union troops were all well 
clad, while the rebels were in rags: in many instances 
without any pretence at uniform. Their garments were of 
all colors and styles. There firearms, however, were all 
good, and they used them well. A number of farmers came 
on the field to witness the sight, of which they had so often 
heard but never seen. They collected as relics every 
thing portable : cartridge-boxes, bayonet scabbards, old 
muskets, and even cannon-balls were carried away by them. 
A party of men were detailed as soon as possible to 



260 LEAVES FKOM THE 

bury the dead. When this sad and painful office was per- 
formed, and the men rested from the fatigues of the battle, 
orders were given to prepare for another march and another 
fight. General Burnside rode by, this morning, and is 
again to take command of the corps in person. He was 
welcomed by the men with shouts of delight. It is expected 
that the rebels, disappointed at their reception in Mary- 
land, will attempt to recross the Potomac, and reoccupy 
Virginia. But it is hoped that before doing so. General 
McClellan will force them to another fight, and, if possible, 
cut off their retreat. 



DIAEY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 261 



CHAPTER XXV. 

THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. 

On Wednesday, September 17, the Union and rebel 
forces in Maryland met in the Blue Ridge, and fought a 
battle which, when its full extent is known, will probably 
dwarf all other battles yet fought in the present w^ar. 
General McClellan commanded the National troops in per- 
son, and had on the field the whole command of General 
Burnside, recently augmented by the addition of several 
new regiments, — the army corps lately under General 
McDowell (now under command of General Hooker), Gen- 
eral Sumner's corps. General Franklin's corps. General 
Banks' corps, commanded by General WilHams, and Sykes' 
division of Fitz-John Porter's corps. On the other side, 
the rebels undoubtedly had present the whole force which 
they originally brought into Maryland. They were com- 
manded by General Lee. The battle was fought in the 
valley immediately west of that portion of the Blue Ridge 
known as the South mountain, and to the east and north 
of Sharpsburg, almost in a semicircle, the concave side of 
which is towards the town. Unlike most of the valleys in 
this Blue Ridge country, this valley has not a level spot in 
it, but rolls with eminences of all dimensions, from the lit- 
tle knoll that your horse gallops easily over, to the rather 
high hill, that makes him tug like a mule. Many of the 
depressions between these hills are dry, and afford ample 



262 LEAVES FKOM THE 

cover for infantry against artillery. Others are watered by 
the deep, narrow, and crooked Antietara, a stream that 
seems to observe no decorum in respect to its course, but 
has to be crossed every ten minutes, ride which way you 
will. Sharpsburg lies on the western side of the valley, 
and a little to the south from our point of view. Right 
across the valley, from the northeast, runs the turnj^ike 
from Boonesboro' to Sharpsburg. Two little villages, Por- 
terstown and Keetersville, or Keedyville, lie on the eastern 
side of the valley, at the foot of South mountain. Numer- 
ous fine farm-houses dot the valley in every direction, some 
standing out plainly and boldly on the hill-tops, others half- 
hidden down the little slopes ; and, with the large, comfort- 
able barns about them, and their orchards of fruit-trees, 
these hitherto happy and quiet homes greatly enrich the 
view. Nearly every part of the valley is under cultivation, 
and the scenes are thus varied into squares of the light 
green of nearly-ripened corn, the deep-green of clover, and 
the dull-brown of newly-ploughed fields. Towards the 
north, where our rjght lay, are some dense woods. Imagine 
this scene, spread in the hollow of an amphitheatre of hills, 
that rise in terraces around it, and you have the field of 
last Wednesday's battle. 

Our position had been taken in outline, as it were, on 
Tuesday, and was filled up to its proper strength as fast as 
the troops arrived and streamed down the mountain by the 
road from Middletown. This they continued to do for the 
greater part of Tuesday and Tuesday night. It was a mag- 
nificent sight to see our men thus poured forward across the 
field to different points, in long shining lines. Burnside's 
men turned short to the south, passing across the foot of 
the Elk Ridge mountain, and took a position on our ex- 
treme left. Porter held a commanding eminence to the 



DIAKY OF AN AEMY SUKGEON. 263 

right of Biirnside, though Warren's Brigade of Porter's 
corps was subsequently posted in the woods on our left, in 
support of Burnside's men. Sumner's corps was on an 
eminence next to the right, or north from Porter, and 
General Hooker had the extreme right, in and behind the 
woods before mentioned, and on the Antietam. Our left 
was on Elk Ridge mountain, and our line of battle stretch- 
ed to the northeast, across the Sharpsburg road. The line 
was between four and five miles long. The rebel left was 
in the woods, directly in front of General Hooker, and 
their force was posted across the valley between us and 
Sharpsburg, in a line nearly parallel with our own. Though 
the men have been spoken of as on eminences, it must be 
understood that they were carefully covered in every case 
just below the crest of the hills they held. Our artilleiy 
w^as also carefully posted behind the crests of the hills, 
ready to be run up and to blaze away at a moment's no- 
tice. Nearly every hill had a battery on it, and the 
greater number of batteries looked over fields that ex- 
tended to the limit of the range. 

General Hooker had the honor to open this great com- 
bat. He commanded the corps formerly under General 
McDowell, composed of Ricketts' division, Meade's (for- 
merly McCall's), and King's division. Many of these men 
came u]3 in the night, and there w^as perhaps a little confu- 
sion in posting them. Meade's men say that they slept 
among the rebels. Owing to this over-near neighborhood, 
the pickets got at it in the night, and kept up a scattering 
fire until the battle began. General Meade, who was thus 
nearest the rebels, was relieved at daylight by General 
Ricketts' division, which also immediately advanced against 
the enemy, supported by the division of General King, 
which eventually became engaged on the right of General 



264 LEAVES FROM THE 

Ricketts', and also by the division of General Meade. The 
line advanced through a piece of woods, a corn-field,' and a 
piece of ploughed land, and into another piece of woods, 
where it found the enemy in line of battle, and was re- 
ceived with a hot file-fire, which told very severely on 
our men. But they steadily advanced into the fierce fire, 
giving back one equally destructive ; while our batteries, 
particularly a Pennsylvania battery under Captain Mat- 
thews, and Captain Thompson's 1st Maryland battery, 
played splendidly upon the enemy's line. Thus pressed, 
the rebel forces gave way, though they certainly did not 
"skedaddle." Slowly, and in fair order, they fell back, 
disputing every foot that they gave up with the greatest 
obstinacy. Still our boys pushed on with great courage 
and determination, every man, from Hooker down, intent 
only on victory. Occasionally a more determined resist- 
ance at some point in the line, or some difficulty in the 
ground, would check oiir advance for a few moments ; but, 
wdth these exceptions, it was almost steady from its com 
mencement until about ten o'clock in the morning, when 
General Hooker was woimded and carried from the field. 
General Ricketts at once assumed command of the corps, 
but our victorious movement had lost its impulse. At that 
time our right had advanced and swept across the field so 
far, that its front, originally almost in a line with the front 
of the centre and left, formed almost a right-angle with 
them. While our advance rather faltered, the rebels, 
greatly reinforced, made a sudden and impetuous onset, 
and drove our gallant fellows back over a portion of the 
hard-won field. What we had won, however, was not re- 
linquished without a desperate struggle ; up the hills, and 
down through the woods and the standing corn, over the 
ploughed land and the clover, the line of fire swept to 



DIAEY OF AN AEMY SURGEON. 265 

and fro, as one side or the other gained a temporary ad- 
vantage. 

Thus the battle raged, till Sumner's corps came np to sup- 
port the worn-out heroes who had maintained the fight so 
long against very evident odds. How gloriously they went 
at it, those Peninsula boys — Burns's old brigade, led by 
gallant young Howard, who lost an arm at Fair Oaks, and 
Meagher's Irish Brigade, led by the gallant Meagher him- 
self, and many other heroes tried in the fire ! As the Irish 
Brigade charged the enemy's Hne, their cheers arose in one 
great surge of sound, over the noise of battle, over the 
roar of a multitude of artillery, and was heard far down 
the lines to the left, v^iere Burnside's boys were just get- 
ting at it. Thus met, the rebel advance was checked and 
broken, and they were driven with awful slaughter. It is 
beyond all wonder how such men as the rebel troops are, 
can fight as they do. That, ragged and filthy, sick, hun- 
gry, and in all ways miserable, they should prove such 
heroes in fight, is past explanation — men never fought bet- 
ter. There was one regiment that stood up before the fire 
of two or three of our long-range batteries and of two 
regiments of infantry, and though the air around them 
was vocal with the whistle of bullets and screams of shells, 
there they stood, and delivered their fire in perfect order ; 
and there they continued to stand, until a battery of six 
light twelves was brought to bear on them, and before 
that they broke. Nothing mortal can bear a battery of 
six light Napoleon guns, if there is plenty of grape and 
canister in the ammunition chests. Thus Sumner efiectu- 
ally stayed what at one time threatened to be a fearfully 
dangerous onslaught. But all the ground Hooker had 
gained was lost, and we were as we had been before the 
misty daylight had dawned upon us. But there is a stir 

13 



266 LEAVES FKOM thp: 

and a murmur around us diiferent from the. noise of battle. 
There are troops in motion behind, and here comes Frank- 
lin's corps. When the battle began at daylight, this corps 
was in camp eight miles away, on the mountain over which 
it had driven the rebels on Sunday last. There it was, in 
all the seemingly inextricable camp confusion ; and in the 
valley, at the foot of the same mountain, was Couch's divi- 
sion, temporarily attached to Franklin's command. All 
these troops had had orders on Tuesday night to be in 
readiness to march at a moment's notice, and so they lay 
down. But the night passed, and no orders came to move ; 
and the morning hours went by, till it seemed that they 
could not be wanted. But at eight o'clock the orders 
came, and here they are, at one. It was a good march, 
and, unlike most troops that make those hasty marches, 
they are not too late, nor are they used up. Heralded 
only by the jingle of their own canteens, and their regular 
tramp, they move into the field. No slogan announces 
them ; no music note tells that the Cam^jbells are com- 
ing. But hardy, brave, and comparatively fresh, here they 
are. The two fresh divisions at once moved forward, for 
it was rightly reasoned that the enemy must be fully as 
much shaken as we were. Onward went Slocum, with the 
three brigades that carried Crampton's Gap so handsomely 
on Sunday ; and onward went Smith, with the brigades of 
Hancock, Brooks, and Davidson, who first made the ene- 
my's acquaintance on Warwick Creek. Exhausted, no 
doubt, by his last desperate endeavor, the enemy gave 
way. Easily, and without the great outlay of life that it 
at first cost us, the ground was once more won. 

Hitherto we have spoken only of what transpired on our 
right. There, after desperate struggles, we had won what, 
considered in itself alone, was a glorious battle, and our 



DIARY OF AN AKMY SUKGEON. 267 

enemy was there fairly beaten. When the batteries that 
participated in Hooker's attack at dayhght first opened 
their fire, and were severely felt, several rebel batteries 
opened upon them, and also on our advancing line. Some 
of these batteries were on points quite out of the battle 
that raged on the right. As they opened their fire, one by 
one, our batteries, posted on various eminences, opened on 
them, and, in their turn, were opened upon by still other 
rebel batteries ; and thus was begun a stupendous artillery 
fight, which soon became quite independent of the battle 
on the right. From every little hill a battery thundered, un- 
til the mountains around seemed to be shaken with the roar, 
and the tracks of shells and shot were woven across the 
valley like net-work. So numerous were the batteries, and 
so constant their fire, that it was impossible to keep up with 
it. However much this or that beautiful shot might excite 
your admiration, you could not decide who made it, or 
what battery was entitled to the credit. It is probable that 
the artillerists were frequently deceived themselves, and 
assumed, as their own, those shots that luckier gunners had 
made. The efiect of the artillery can hardly be estimated, 
save where the efiect of its fire can be seen ploughing 
through the masses. When, as in this battle, batteries fire 
at batteries, no result is perceptible ; and even if a battery 
ceases to fire, you are not sure that it is damaged. The 
whole artillery fire of Wednesday looked very like a waste 
of ammunition, though, doubtless, many a badly injured 
gun was the result. Whether any one "blundered" on 
the left, it is impossible to state now ; but the battle, there, 
got started late, and went on slowly. It was noon when 
the fire of musketry first announced an ensrasrement at 
close quarters in that direction ; and then the firing was not 
heavy and continuous, but desultory and light in its char- 



268 LEAVES FEOM THE 

acter. Our first advance was made there down the slope 
of a hill, to a bridge which crosses the Antietam river. 
Beyond the river the enemy had so posted his men, as 
to sweep the bridge with a severe musketry fire: their 
own advance was checked, and General Burnside seemed 
to hesitate. The peculiar brass pieces handled by the 
Hawkins' Zouaves — one of the many recent experiments in 
artillery — were then tried on the rebels beyond, as the posi- 
tion was one in which regular artillery could not work; 
but the peculiar brass pieces achieved but little, and the 
enemy remained in position beyond, and kept up a severe 
and well-directed fire upon our men. Finally, at about 
two o'clock, p. M., after much time had been lost, the bridge 
was carried by a brilliant charge, in which the 11th Ohio 
and 11th Connecticut participated very conspicuously and 
lost many men. If the greater obstacles constitute the post 
of honor on a field of battle. General Burnside may justly 
claim to have had that post in Wednesday's fight. Once 
more across the river, he found the enemy in force before 
him, and in a new position of great strength, on a hill. 
Against this position he advanced at once, and the old 
valor of the divisions of Generals Cox, Wilcox, and Sturgis 
was once more triumphant, and the hill was taken. No 
sooner was its summit reached, than a heavy battery of 
artillery at once opened upon his ranks, with a fire which 
must have annihilated them if permitted to continue. It 
was at once clear that the hill was untenable, unless the 
battery was taken. At the same time the enemy, in front, 
began to receive heavy reinforcements, and General Burn- 
side's position became critical. 

To go forward, with that heavy battery mowing his 
flank, and with an equal number of the enemy on his front, 
and overwhelming numbers coming up, would seem like 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 269 

madness. To stand still would only be destruction ; and 
then came the alternative to retreat. Bitter as this alter- 
native was, it had to be taken, and steadily the line swept 
back, relinquishing the hard-won hill ; but it was now 
so fully under the fire of newly posted batteries, that no 
enemy could occupy it. 

As Burnside's line withdrew, the word was passed along 
the hill for Sykes's men to " fall in ;" and the tough old sol- 
diers of the regular regiments, who had been lounging on 
the hill, quiet spectators of the battle, hurried gladly into 
line, joyful at the prospect that their turn had come ; 
there they stood, ready to check the progress of any sud- 
den disaster. Night prevented further operations. Let it 
be understood that we were only not entirely successful on 
the left. We suffered no disaster • nor could we suffer any ; 
for it is the glory of General McClellan's plan of battle, that 
if the rebels had even routed Burnside and driven him in 
confusion from the field, our left would still have been safe, 
for there, close in hand, was Porter's corps, fresh and ready 
for the emergency. General McClellan had his head- 
quarters during the day at a commanding point of the field ; 
he did not remain there all the time, but rode over the 
field from point to point, as the battle raged here or there, 
watching vigilantly its progress, and sharing the dangers 
of the nameless heroes who fought so bravely to -win the 
glorious day. As we rode from the field at nightfall, and 
passed Porterstown, near to where our wagons were parked, 
we noted one circumstance which alone ought to establish 
the superiority of our men. There was beef cooking on 
the fire. All about the camp, kettles stood in rows on 
blazing rails ; and while the battle raged furiously, at half 
a mile distant, rations were being prepared as quietly as 
if all were in camp. Thus our tired boys were sure of 



270 LEAVES FROM THE 

a supper ere they slept, while if the rebel soldiers had 
any thing at all to eat that night, it must have been a 
scanty bite all around. 

The smoke of the battle of yesterday is now dispelled, 
and we can see more clearly what has been done. Our 
victory is an undeniable and glorious one. Our soldiers 
have done what was expected of them. They have come 
upon the rebels, who, showing fight, were met and whipped 
at every point along the line by our invincible army. 
In every concerted movement yesterday we were success- 
ful, while every movement against us was handsomely re- 
pulsed. General McClellan's head-quarters for the day 
were at a large house on the hill on the north side of 
the Porterstown valley, about one mile from Keedysville, 
and in a position overlooking the entire field of action. 
To the wide field of vision opened before him, may be 
imputed a large measure of the success which attended our 
arms during the day. 

At nine o'clock in the morning the severest fighting com- 
menced, when Sumner's full corps became engaged with 
the enemy. These veterans of the Peninsula pitched into 
the seething tide of the battle with a right good-will, their 
old and plucky general leading them. It is said, indeed, 
that his undaunted courage carried a division, Sedgwick's, 
into the enemy's line, where they fought superior numbers 
successfully for an hour, though at times their situation 
was critical indeed. Nothing but the most daring and 
determined courage saved this noble body of men from 
annihilation. The rebels here made a bold push to capture 
the 1st Rhode Island and Kirby's, formerly Ricketts', bat- 
teries, against which they have the old grudge of Fair 
Oaks and Savage's station to settle. Ricketts' light brass 
twelve-pounder battery poured grape and canister with 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 271 

destructive effect, and with the aid of its support of infan- 
try from the 15th Massachusetts, effectually checked the 
enemy's advance in the direction of the battery : the fire of 
the combined infantry and artillery literally mowed down 
the rebels. The 15th Massachusetts followed the enemy, 
who by this time rallied their forces and received assistance. 
Nobly did this regiment sustain itself against the increased 
and increasing numbers of the rebels, bringing down scores 
of them at every discharge. They were finally obliged to 
fall back to the original line, which they did in good order, 
fighting the mean time under cover of Kirby's well-directed 
grape and canister. The 15th Massachusetts went into 
action with six hundred men, and came out with about two 
hundred uninjured, the rest killed, wounded, and missing. 
The 1st Rhode Island battery was well served, and ably 
supported by the 34th New York and the Baxter Zouaves, 
and finally drove off the rebels. The 34th and 2d IsTew 
York Militia, and Baxter's Zouaves, suffered terribly. 
One of the severest struggles occurred near Numas's house 
and barn, where a large force of rebel infantry was posted, 
with some artillery. The scene described is, that the 
ground is covered Avith the rebel dead and wounded. 
Fire from several of our batteries was directed there 
with terrible effect, as the hecatomb of victims attest. 
Numas's house and barn were destroyed by fire, making a 
splendid spectacle after the night began to darken. Colonel 
Pratt, of New York, was wounded in four places, at dif- 
ferent times during the day. After he had received the 
second wound, and was bleeding profusely, he led his men 
into a most gallant and successful charge, receiving his 
death wounds. The colonel of the 17th Michigan was 
killed while advancing his men to a bayonet charge, after 
they had exhausted their ammunition. The Washington 



272 LEAVES FKOM THE 

artillery, of New Orleans, was [the last battery of the 
enemy to cease firing last evening, all the rest having pre- 
viously become silent. It is supposed that the want of 
ammunition was one cause of the slacking of the rebel fire 
in the latter part of the day. Our well-served and numer- 
ous batteries did the most towards silencing those of the 
enemy. In the afternoon the rebels were using the am- 
munition captured at Harper's Ferry, with more efiect than 
their own ammunition used in the morning. The enemy 
used, in this engagement, railroad iron, slugs, and smooth 
stones, as missiles of destruction. The New York troops 
which sufiered most severely were the 82d, 34th, 59th, 
69th, 53d, 9th, and 42d. 

This morning, September 18th, a few shells were thrown 
into the enemy's lines, to ascertain their whereabouts. 
Shortly after a flag of truce came out from the rebels to 
sohcit permission to bury their dead. This was granted by 
General McClellan, and until four o'clock this afternoon 
was given in which to do the work. Our forces are in a con- 
dition to renew the engagement, begun so gloriously yes- 
terday, with increased vigor. About three o'clock a heavy 
rain began, which would prevent further hostilities. The 
pickets, on the outer posts, have been firing at intervals to- 
day. Six regiments from General Cox's division are 
engaged at South Mountain, to-day, in burying the dead 
from the battle-field of Sunday last. On Tuesday night, 
the 16th instant, the enemy massed his forcesi under Lee, 
Jackson, and Longstreet, with the intention of turning 
McClellan's right-flank. At daylight artillery skirmishing 
was commenced on the right, and continued until about a 
quarter of eight o'clock, when musketry firing commenced 
— the opposing forces having got within the musket range 
of each other. This was near Sharpsburg, and about five 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SUKGEON. 273 

or six miles northeast of Boonesboro'. Sumner's corps was 
mainly engaged. Sedgwick's and French's divisions were 
formed in line of battle, and so advanced in two lines across 
the fields and through the woods. The brigade of General 
Max Weber formed the first line of French's division. 
As they came on the brow of the hill they found the rebels 
in rifle-pits and behind stone walls, who immediately opened 
a withering fire, which our men stood bravely. The enemy 
had also planted two batteries in a position to give ns a 
galling flanking fire. This was replied to by our batteries, 
and a terrible cannonading ensued. The Irish Brigade — 
Meagher's — which is in French's division, made a gal- 
lant and effective charge upon the enemy, who retired 
slowly, disputing the ground as they went. The enemy 
were driven beyond Sharpsburg, towards the Virginia line. 
General Sumner was in his element, and encouraged his 
men by calling upon them to " go in boys," wavng his 
hat enthusiastically in the air, &c., &c. He has every 
reason to feel increased pride in his command after the 
work they did yesterday. General Max Weber was shot, 
and severely wounded, while ordering a bayonet charge. 
His assistant adjutant-general. Captain H. M. Burleigh, 
was also wounded in the shoulder. The rebels were driven 
three miles beyond the position they occupied at the begin- 
ing of the fight in the morning. Brigadier-general Craw- 
ford, while leading up his division in an attack upon the 
enemy's centre, was severely wounded in the thigh, but 
refused to leave the field. Jackson's forces are now so 
backed up against the river, that unless he can get off 
towards Hagerstown, where there is a ford by which he 
might cross the river, or receives aid from the vicinity 
of Harper's Ferry, he must experience great difficulty in 
extricating himself from his present position. The usual 

12* 



274 LEAVES FEOM THE 

report, that General Jackson has been killed, is, of course, 
circulated. The battle-ground covered a large area, com- 
posed of mountain, wood, field of grain, and marsh near the 
Antietam river, which had to be, and was, forded by our 
soldiers, although the water was from three to four feet 
deep. The loss on both sides was very heavy, but the 
enemy's loss was largely in excess of our own. Three 
barns, besides all the dwelling-houses in the vicinity, are 
filled with the wounded. About three thousand prisoners 
were captured. The firing was kept up until half-past 
seven p. m. 

Further Particulars of the Battle of Antietam. 

The battle of Antietam, in western Maryland, fought on 
Wednesday, the 17th September, between the main bodies 
of the rebel and Union armies, was the fiercest and 
bloodiest battle of the war. The close pursuit of the rebel 
forces by McClellan's army, the several skirmishes with the 
rear-guard of the enemy, and the positions assumed by the 
contending armies on Tuesday, rendered it apparent that a 
tremendous battle would speedily be fought in that vicin- 
ity. Accordingly, on Tuesday afternoon and during the 
night, both parties were busily engaged in marshalling 
their men and making judicious disposition of their troops, 
preliminary to the commencement of the battle. McClellan 
had pushed forward his several army corps with great 
alacrity, and on Tuesday evening our advance, composed 
of Hooker's corps, drove back the enemy on the right, and 
secured a favorable position for the opening of the great 
battle at the coming dawn. It was with great reluctance 
that the enemy surrendered that favorable point on the 
right, and on several separate occasions during the night 
he appeared to be attempting to regain it before morning 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON". 275 

came, as he kept np a sharp picket-fire from dark till day- 
light. But whenever the pickets of the enemy endeavored 
to advance, under cover of the darkness, they were prompt- 
ly repulsed by our own. General Lee, the commander-in- 
chief of the Confederate forces, and his principal generals, 
were also actively employed forming their lines to meet 
and resist the anticipated attack, and placing their columns 
in position, ready to be hurled against our infantry or sent 
to storm our batteries, as opportunities, during the shifting 
scenes of the battle, might afford, or their minds suggest. 
The enemy received heavy reinforcements from the Vir- 
ginia side of the Potomac. Jackson's, Hill's, and McLaws' 
divisions, which had participated in the attack on Harper's 
Ferry, were among the troops that had left that place on 
Tuesday. They recrossed the river, marched all night, 
and arrived in time to participate in the battle of the valley 
of Antietam. All the available forces of the enemy were 
concentrated to resist this grand assault. It was believed 
that, with the exception of some detachments, the whole 
Army of Virginia, under the command of its ablest gen- 
erals, confronted McClellan's army on this battle-field. 
General McClellan planned the battle, and gave instruc- 
tions to the different corps commanders what ]3art their 
troops were expected to perform in the conflict ; while he 
himself was on the field all day, visiting different portions 
of the lines, and directing all the operations, from the com- 
mencement of the contest to its close. The battle-field is 
one of the most magnificent that could be selected for a 
contest of such magnitude. The valley of Antietam is a 
luxurious part of Maryland ; the ground admirably adapt- 
ed to the successful massing of troops in reserve, as they 
could be shielded behind the numerous knolls from the 
artillery fire on either side, — as well as to the free and fair 



276 LEAVES FROM THE 

engagement of the contending infantry, when the lines 
came in close proximity. The undulating nature of the 
ground furnished fine positions to both parties for artillery, 
while the beauty of the surrounding scenery — the trees be- 
ginning to show their rich autumnal tinges — threw a halo 
of enchantment over what was now, at once, the garden 
and the battle-ground of Maryland. On our left, heavily- 
wooded mountains rose to a considerable height, inclosing 
the valley on that side, and Antietam creek wound its way 
through the gorge and along the verdant valley beneath. 
Away, in every direction, hills covered with splendid corn 
and clover fields, vales rich with the summer's harvest, and 
orchards laden with ripening fruit, spread out before our 
view. It almost seemed at times, during the cessation of 
the firing, that many engaged in the bloody fray would 
turn from the scene of carnage to contemplate the lovely 
valley and its surrounding scenery. 

The position of the Union forces, as ordered by General 
McClellan, was splendid. Hooker's corps, formerly Mc- 
Dowell's, which had made the advance, occupied the ex- 
treme right of the Union line. Here the battle began. 
Mansfield's corps, formerly under Banks, acted in concert 
with Hooker's. Franklin's corps came up in that vicinity 
during the afternoon, and acted as a reserve at first, but 
was pushed to the front later in the day. Sumner's corps 
had the centre of the fine, where some of the hardest fight- 
ing took place. Fitz-John Porter's corps, which was Only 
slightly engaged, followed next in order ; while Burnside's 
corps acted as a flanking column on the left. It was here 
that our loss was heaviest, by reason of the determined 
opposition of the enemy to the repeated, and finally success- 
ful attempt at storming the stone bridge over the Antie- 
tam. On the centre and right, as well as on the left, 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 277 

V 

the fighting was furious and the losses severe. Along 
the crests of the chain of hills our batteries were posted, 
in opposition to those of the enemy planted in similar 
positions beyond. The smooth-bore short-range guns 
were placed on the little knolls in front, and the rifled 
artillery, for longer range, on the higher hills behind. Sup- 
porting their several batteries, regiments of infantry were 
lying down, or moving into line, just taking their positions 
to begin the battle, while whole brigades and divisions 
could be seen from the commanding summits, also hidden 
by the elevations of the ground, marching away to support 
these attacking lines. On various prominent points small 
groups could be distinguished. These were corps, divi- 
sion, and brigade commanders, surrounded by their staff 
officers, who had, for the most part, chosen positions 
where they could direct the operations of their own com- 
mands, and at the same time perceive how the battle was 
progressing in other sections of the field. The cavalry, 
with four batteries of flying horse-artillery, under General 
Pleasanton, were posted in the centre, to the rear, whence 
they could descend swiftly to any portion of the field. On 
a higher hill, still further behind, General McClellan estab- 
lished his head-quarters. From this commanding emi- 
nence he could view the whole scene of action, watch the 
execution of his plans, and speedily proceed to any portion 
of the field, where his personal presence in the front might 
be required. 

As General Hooker captured the position where the bat- 
tle commenced, it is proper to state, for the sake of conti- 
nuity in the narrative, that after the enemy had been driven 
from his position at South Mountain on Sunday, Hooker's 
corps, preceded by artillery, with skirmishers and supports 
in front, moved forward to Valley Mills, on Monday, where 



278 LEAVES FROM THE 

a slight artillery engagement took place. Later in the 
afternoon, the corps pushed forward on the road which 
stretched away to the left, for the purpose of obtaining a 
position in which it could engage the enemy's flank with 
the hope of turning it. The corps consisted of Meade's, 
Doubleday's, and Ricketts' divisions. Meade's division 
(formerly McCall's), composed of the Pennsylvania Re- 
serves, led the march, the other two divisions following. 
Thus the corps moved forward in solid column. The 
advance-guard came upon the enemy's pickets about five 
o'clock, on Tuesday afternoon. Meade'4S division was de- 
ployed in line of battle, his skirmishers in front driving in 
the rebel pickets. The rebel line of battle was encoun- 
tered in a piece of woods, with ploughed fields and corn- 
fields to the right and left. It is only necessarj^, in view of 
the description already given of the fight, to say, that the 
opposing forces were hotly engaged with artillery and in- 
fantry till dark. Both fought in splendid style, our men 
determined to take the position, and the rebels apparently 
as determined to defend it ; but at last our men drove 
them from the ground, secured the important position, and 
slept on their arms all night. There was an opening in the 
woods, thus forming two separate belts of trees : General 
Seymour's Brigade occupied that on the left; the 2d Brigade, 
Colonel Magilton commanding, covering the opening; 
while the 3d Brigade, Colonel Anderson commanding, oc- 
cupied the belt of woods upon the right. This was the 
position of the division at dark, the pickets of the opposing 
lines being, in some instances, within a dozen yards of each 
other during the night, and sharp picket-firing was con- 
tinued until morning. The battle began at the first dawn 
of day. General McClellan's order of battle provided that 
the attack should be commenced on the right, continued 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 279 

along the centre, and in turn pressed forward by Bnrn- 
side on the left, — Franklin's corps, constituting the re- 
serves for the right and centre; and Porter's corps for the 
left of the line, and its flanking column. The arrange- 
ments for the battle were complete, and the battle was 
won almost without the necessity of a shot being fired by 
the troops in reserve. The moment it was light enough 
for the pickets to perceive each other, they blazed away. The 
men in line on either side sprung to arms. The skirmishers 
on either side were thrown out in front ; but as soon as the 
troops advanced, these, of course, retired, and the two 
battle lines were immediately engaged. In these opera- 
tions, our front line, formed as on the preceding evening, 
steadily advanced, supported by two other lines, composed 
of the two remaining divisions of Hooker's corps. The 
enemy had placed heavy pieces of artillery to defend this 
point ; but as our lines advanced the rebel artillery retired, 
while, on the contrary, our batteries, advancing with the 
infantry, took up new positions as they went. Ricketts' 
division pushed forward to the left of Seymour's Brigade, 
while Doubleday's advanced in front of the position which 
had been occupied by Magilton and Anderson on the pre- 
vious evening. Thus Seymour's Brigade was detached on 
the right, and the other two brigades of Meade's division 
were led forward by their commanders between Ricketts' 
and Doubleday's divisions. Our troops fought with deter- 
mined bravery for several hours, dj'ove the enemy from the 
ground he occupied at first, advanced through the thin 
belts of woods over the ploughed, corn, and clover fields be- 
yond, slaughtered the rebel regiments in a fearful style, and 
captured a large number of their colors. Ricketts' division 
advanced to the support of Seymour's Brigade, and fought 
with vigor. After the men had been hotly engaged, 



280 LEAVES FKOM THE 

and expended their ammunition, they returned to replen- 
plenish their cartridge-boxes, and while doing so Ricketts' 
division pushed forward and delivered a fresh volley in 
the enemy's front. Duryea's Brigade was on its right, 
PlartsufF's a little in advance, on the left, and Christian's, 
consisting of Jones's Brigade, was placed in the rear as a re- 
serve : Thompson's and Matthews' batteries of rifled guns 
wheeled into position between Duryea and Hartsuff. 

The sun had scarcely risen before the wdiole division was 
participating in the bloody fight — the enemy returning our 
fire with considerable effect. Through the corn-field the 
enemy advanced in considerable force, with eight or nine 
colors flying, in line of battle. It was a splendid sight to 
see their long and steady Une, the men moving among the 
high stalks of corn, the bayonets glistening above the 
ears, .and the battle-flags floating over all. The whole 
division fought in gallant style, and equal bravery and valor 
w^ere displayed by the rebel troops. The firing was terrific 
at this time, and the ground (especially the corn-field), after 
the battle, told how severe the contest had been. The 
rebels succeeded in killing a number of gunners at one of 
the batteries. The remnant of Duryea's Brigade, w^hich 
was still fighting in the corn-field on the right, took up a 
new position, a little in the rear of a ledge of rocks, and 
kept up a continuous cross-fire, preventing the enemy from 
carrying off the guns. Early in the engagement, both 
Hartsuflf's and Christian's brigades were under fire, and 
poured destructive volleys into the enemy's ranks. Gen- 
eral Hartsufl" was wounded in the side by. a rebel sharp- 
shooter. The command of his brigade devolved on Colonel 
Coulter, of the 1 1th Pennsylvania Volunteers. Our wound- 
ed, as fast as they fell, were carried to the rear, and with- 
out delay put into an ambulance, to be carried to the hos- 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 281 

pitals we had established, and were promptly cared for. 
The fight was raging furiously all this time, with great de- 
struction to both sides. As the right flank could be easier 
turned by the enemy, it was the most important point to 
hold. It was consequently of much importance to General 
McClellan and General Hooker to provide for its protec- 
tion and defence by onr troops. The enemy was ob- 
served to be massing large bodies in that direction, and 
he subsequently tried to drive ns from our position at 
that point; but the attempt Was gallantly repelled, and 
proved entirely ineffectual. All the brigades in each of the 
divisions here engaged suffered severely. General Ricketts' 
had his horse shot under him, but himself escaped injury. 
A similar accident happened to General Duryea. His 
brother, Captain Duryea, was severely wounded. Many 
of the other staff-officers had their horses shot. But one 
field-officer of this brigade escaped injury; and of the 
four regiments which went into the fight, tAvo hundred 
men could not he mustered on the following morning. 
Other brigades of this division suffered in like manner, 
which will give the reader some idea of the fierceness of 
the conflict at this point. When the rebel battery sud- 
denly opened in the morning, at the commencement of 
the action, Doubleday's division, composed of Patrick's, 
Phelps', and Gibbons' brigades, was within a few hundred 
yards of it, and suffered severely. The rebels appeared to 
be short of ammunition, as they threw solid shot where 
shell would have been more destructive. One of their 
shells, thrown as Gibbons' Brigade was getting into motion, 
exploded among the 6th Wisconsin regiment, killing and 
wounding several of Company A. This brigade preceded 
the other two, all of which went into action in regular 
line of battle, supported by Doubleday's old brigade, under 



2S2 LEAVES FROM THE 

Lieutenant-colonel Hoffman. As General Hatch had been 
wounded at South Mountain, Colonel Phelps commanded 
his brigade. 

The ground was obstinately contested by the enemy. 
The rebels in large force, supported by strong reserves, 
were driven nearly a mile beyond their original position, 
by the right wing, in which Doubleday's division partici- 
pated. At the close of the action, not more than sixty 
men out of one of the brigades could be mustered, but 
many have come in since. Among the regiments especially 
commended for their splendid conduct, was the Brooklyn 
14th, which behaved in the most gallant manner, and suf- 
fered severely. General Gibbons' Brigade moved up in 
column, and deployed in line into the woods. General 
Patrick's Brigade came up immediately, and formed on the 
right, in support of Gibbons'. The brigade commanded 
by Colonel Phelps formed partly on the left and partly on 
the right, as reserves. The fire in front of Gibbons' Bri- 
gade was fearful, but the troops held their ground until 
more than half the officers and men were killed and 
wounded. They were then relieved by General Patrick, 
and retired to the foot of the hill, where they re-formed for 
future action. After getting into the woods, at the com- 
mencement of the fight, where the action was severest, in 
moving to the front, an enfilading fire of the enemy did 
considerable execution among Col. Phelps' men. They re- 
turned it with vigor and effect ; but in order to escape the 
dreadful consequences of a flanking fire, the brigade 
changed its front, and filed off under a ledge of rocks on 
the right of the wood, and fought in that position, near 
where the troops who had come from the front were reorgan- 
izing, until all the ammunition was expended but nine or 
ten rounds. At the same time the fire of the enemy 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 283 

was tremendous, and other troops were wavering in 
front. General Hooker had given instructions to hold 
that position, at whatever cost. General Hatch's Bri- 
gade was pushed forward to the front, and became en- 
gaged, and a fresh line of reinforcements sweeping up, 
poured a regular fire into the rebels, who soon retired, and 
left us master of that portion of the field. For a moment 
it seemed as if we must entirely relinquish the ground 
which had been taken so bravely on the right the night 
before ; but, just at that critical moment, reinforcements 
came to our relief. This had the efiect to reanimate the 
troops, whose ranks had become so terribly decimated, 
and several regiments which were reorganizing, although 
they had not been replenished with ammunition, dashed 
into the fight behind the reinforcements, and fought un- 
til they had expended every round. In this encounter 
on the right, a large number of flags were taken. Gen- 
I eral Patrick's Brigade has five of the battle-flags, one 
for each of his regiments, and a spare one for a battery of 
artillery. As our victorious troops crossed over a hill, they 
{ suddenly came upon a mass of rebels five or six thousand 
i strong, in the hollow. This rebel force had been quietly 
awaiting just such an opportunity as was now presented. 
They immediately arose, and poured in some murderous 
volleys, and, with flashing guns and fixed bayonets, stood 
like a wall of fire and steel before our men, whom they 
drove back a considerable distance, to the corn-field, where 
such fearful execution had been done among the rebels 
at an earlier stage of the contest. 

At this important moment Captain Campbell's battery 
opened on the rebels with double-case and canister, at 
close range, and mowed them, down in heaps in that fatal 
corn-field. At the same time a portion of the division 



284: LEAVES FKOM THE 

came upon the enemy's flank, and the enfilading fire from 
our artillery and infantry was more than they could stand. 
They fled in considerable confusion, and although they had 
driven us back from the ground which we had taken, we 
still held the position where the fighting had commenced 
in the morning. Captain Campbell was severely wounded 
in the shoulder. After this encounter, the command was 
relieved by General Sumner's corps. Lieutenant Haskell, 
of General Gibbons' staff", while riding in the corn-field, 
returning from delivering an order, came across a corporal 
in the 2d Wisconsin regiment. The corporal was badly 
wounded. The lieutenant asked him how he came by such 
an ugly wound in his breast, " was it a piece of shell that 
hit you ?" The dying corporal feebly replied, " No, I was 
wounded first by a musket-ball, and afterwards a rebel 
thrust a bayonet into my breast." 

It is impossible to estimate, with any degree of accu- 
racy, the number of our losses or tho§e of the enemy. 
It is certain that no harder fighting was ever seen on this 
continent — not even in the bloody battles of the Peninsula. 
One or two instances, in this connection, will be sufficient 
to illustrate the fearful character of the contest. That of 
General Duryea's Brigade, as previously mentioned, is one. 
The 2d regiment of the United States Sharp-shooters, which 
had been reduced by death and sickness to one hun- 
dred and twenty men, lost over one half their number, 
among them Colonel Post and Adjutant Parmalee. The 
regiment is now reduced to a number less than a single 
company, and is commanded by Captain Stoughton, the 
only captain remaining on the field after the fight. Five 
captains are now on the sick-list, and were absent in 
the hospital. The ranks of the Brooklyn 14th were also 
greatly thinned. 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SURGEON. 285 

Rather early in the action Gen. Hooker was wounded in 
the foot by a musket-ball. It was a matter of sincere re- 
gret to this gallant general that he was compelled to relin- 
quish his seat in the saddle, — and was not vouchsafed the 
privilege of leading his men in the consummation of the 
great work which had been assigned him in the morning. 
Gen. Hooker is a soldier in the fullest sense of that military 
term. Of commanding form, and pleasing features, he 
presents a fine appearance on the field. He has with him 
nearly all of his excellent staff-officers, and has retained 
Major Myers, Captains Sanderson and Houston, and Dr. 
Magruder, of McDowell's staff; and, as an additional aid, 
has appointed Captain Moore, of the Italian army, who is 
here on leave of absence from Victor Emanuel, and who 
served with the lamented General Kearney in European 
battles, and in all the battles of Virginia, up to the moment 
of the death of that regretted general. General Hooker's 
wound is painfull though not dangerous. He says he 
would have been willing to have compromised with a mor- 
tal wound at night, and died a soldier's death at the con- 
clusion of the action, could he have remained with his 
command all day. He had eight ordedies shot during 
the progress of the battle. 

The army corps which had been under General Banks 
before he was directed to take charge of the defences about 
Washington, was assigned to the venerable General Mans- 
field. It consists of two divisions commanded by Generals 
Williams and Green. The corjjs advanced to the scene of 
action in close columns of companies, arriving on the field 
about a couple of hours after the battle was begun. Gen- 
eral Williams' division occupied the right, and General 
Green's the left, when the command was formed in line. 
The battle was raging fiercely on the right, when this corps 



LEAVES FKOM THE 

came up. With commendable alacrity the divisions were 
placed in positions ready to pnsh into the contest. Hook- 
er's men were fighting bravely and losing heavily, and 
assistance was required. Rapidly the regiments wheeled 
into position and deployed into Kne. General Mansfield 
was mortally wounded while directing their formation. 
A rebel sharp-shooter seeing him mounted in front, with- 
in range of an excellent rifle, and evidently perceiving 
also, from his venerable appearance, that he was a general 
ofiicer, took deliberate aim and shot him down. The gen- 
eral fell, mortally wounded in the breast, and was carried 
from the field before his command became engaged in the 
important operations of the day, in which the corps bore 
no inconsiderable part. General Williams being senior 
officer, assumed command of the corps, and General Gor- 
don, till then commanding a brigade, took charge of his 
division. The corps was formed in battle order in the rear 
of General Hooker, and reheved a porti(^ of that officer's 
brave, but decimated regiments. General Williams' division 
was deployed with Crawford's Brigade on the right, and 
Gordon's on the left and centre. This is a small command, 
there being only two brigades in the division. These two 
brigades went right into the contest, pushed through the 
woods and met the enemy, still fighting furiously and in full 
force. The division, though small, bore not a little of the 
brunt of the enemy's retaliatory attack upon Hooker, and 
in turn helped to fill the corn-field and the surrounding fields 
with dead and wounded rebels, Avhich were subsequently 
found there. Changing position, rendered desirable by 
the movements of the enemy, this division fought with 
distinguished valor, and held the position they had taken 
up, until subsequently relieved by some of the fresh troops, 
who were led by General Sumner. They were warmly 



DIAKY OF AN AKMY SURGEON. 287 

engaged on the left of tlie hard-fighting previously de- 
scribed, and shared a portion of it. They fought side by 
side with other victorious troops under the command of 
Hooker. 

General Green's division, which is better known as Gen- 
eral Augur's, was divided before going into action. It is 
composed of General Geary's old brigade, commanded by 
Lieutenant-colonel Tyndale of the 28th Pennsylvania regi- 
ment ; General Prince's old brigade (General Prince who 
w^as taken prisoner at Cedar Mountain), commanded by 
Colonel Steinrook of the 109th Pennsylvania; and General 
Green's Brigade, commanded, after Mansfield fell (and the 
other changes in consequence), by Colonel Goodrich. This 
brave and gallant colonel, however, was, like the venerable 
General Mansfield, killed at his post by a musket-ball, at 
the commencement of the fight, and the command of the 
brigade devolved upon a subordinate oflScer. The division 
was brought into the thickest of the battle, on the left of 
General Williams; the 3d brigade, under the lamented 
Colonel Goodrich, having been placed by General Williams 
on the right. The other two brigades at first were posted 
as supports to the 3d Rhode Island battery. The battery 
was placed in position in front of a small (Dunkard's) church. 
The guns, apparently without much infantry support, at 
first presented a tempting offer as trophies to the enemy, 
and consequently a large force of the rebels soon advanced 
in splendid style, firing on the gunners as they came, ap- 
parently determined to capture them. But as they came 
within convenient distance, they soon found, to their sor- 
row, that these two brigades of General Green's division 
had, in the mean time, been getting into position, and had 
formed on a line to the right and left of the Rhode Island 
battery. The rebels came from the woods in splendid 



288 LEAVES FKOM THE 

style, as mentioned, and were met not only by the galling 
fire of the artillery itself, but by a simultaneous fire of 
the infantry, which until then was unperceived by them. 
It is comparatively an easy undertaking for a large body 
of soldiers to capture a battery of artillery, however quick 
its fire, if undefended by infantry, because the advancing 
line soon shoot down the horses and the gunners ; but it is 
quite another thing to capture guns, and carry them from 
the field, when they are well supported by infantry. And 
so, in the present instance, were these Rhode Island guns 
defended. The rebels were driven back into the woods, 
when our infantry then advanced, drove them out of it, 
and occupied the woods themselves. The battery then 
wheeled to the left, and poured in a most destructive fire 
upon their retreating lines, and upon other rebel troops 
appearing on the left. The 2'7th Indiana regiment, which 
had been sent to particijoate in the last-mentioned opera- 
tion, fired fast, and was compelled to retire before some 
of the other regiments because the men had expended all 
their ammunition. 

The 13 th New Jersey regiment, which was present on a 
similar service, did excellent execution, and remained in 
the woods till the command retired. The rebel battery 
had been compelled to retreat — the gunners leaving limbers 
beliind. This position was held for a full hour, until, at 
nearly noon, the rebels came out in tremendous force in 
front of Gen. Howard's command, of Sumner's corps, which 
liad already got into action further to the left ; and General 
Green's being partially outflanked, and subjected to a disas- 
trous enfilading fire, was compelled to withdraw from the 
woods about a quarter of a mile, and did not actively par- 
ticipate in the action during the remainder of the afternoon. 
Six flags were captured by this division, which are held by 



DIARY OF AN AK^iY SUEGEON. 289 

the regiment that took them. Indeed there is scarcely a 
brigade, which was actively engaged, along the lines, that 
did not capture some of the enemy's colors, and wear them 
in triumph from the field. I have stated that Colonel 
Goodrich, commanding a brigade, was killed early in the 
action. It is also my painful duty to state that among 
many other noble fellows who fell during the battle. Lieu- 
tenant-colonel Tyndale, who was likewise commanding a 
brigade, was wounded near the close of the engagement. 
The corps was fiercely engaged for four or five hours, and 
lost a number of its best ofiicers and men ; in return for 
which, the satisfaction to be mentioned is, that more than 
corresponding numbers of the enemy were stricken to the 
ground. The corps, shattered but not disorganized, re- 
mained in front until relieved by a portion of General 
Franklin's command in the afternoon. A considerable por- 
tion of the hard fighting of the day was done by the troops 
under the command of General Sumner. Before coming 
on the field of action, he had under his command, as senior 
ofiScer, his own and General Mansfield's corps, — two veteran 
commanders, and who fought near the same portion of the 
field whereon the latter fell with a mortal wound. Pre- 
vious to the present engagement, as will have been per- 
ceived, General Mansfield's corps had been detached for 
temporary service with General Hooker, who had command 
of the right wing of our army, while Sumner had the cen- 
tre. Hooker, who had opened the battle early in the 
morning, had been fighting some hours, with his whole 
command, before General Sumner received his orders to 
bring his troops to the front. It was nearly eight o'clock 
when he was directed to cross the Antietam with his corps 
and push forward into the engagement. The order was 
obeyed with promptitude. General Sumner himself, by 

13 



290 LEAVES FKOM THE 

his personal presence keeping his cohimns well closed up, 
and after his lines were formed urging them forward to the 
front. The corps came upon the field in three lines, 
Sedgwick's division on the right, French's on the left, 
Richardson's considerably in the rear, and went into ac- 
tion on the left of General Hooker's. General Sumner 
on arriving on the field found General Hooker wounded, 
and his command being pressed back by superior numbers. 
As the corps advanced — in three division lines — so the 
first division (General Sedgwick's) went into the battle, in 
three brigade lines, General Gorman's Brigade constituting 
the first. General Dana's the second, and General Howard's 
the third. They formed in rear of the position occupied 
by Hooker on the evening previous, and then marched up 
to about a hundred paces apart, where they were brought 
under the enemy's fire. When these troops had been 
placed in position, it was perceived that the enemy had 
been fast extending his line of battle to his right — our left ; 
and a gap existed, where he was coming in heavy force 
to flank General Hooker's left, while we had no troops there 
to oppose him. When General Sedgwick became ac- 
quainted with the position of matters in his immediate 
front, he ordered the 34th New York regiment to march, 
by the left flank, to meet this flanking force of the enemy. 
During this movement the regiment was exposed to a 
double fire, receiving it both on the flank and front. This 
unexpected greeting, before it had formed into position, 
had a very disastrous effect. The regiment immediately 
broke, and the consequence was, that the first line retired in 
confusion to the rear, carrying the second hue away with 
it. The mass of fugitive soldiers, falling on the third line, 
had almost the efiect of breaking it also, and scattering 
the whole division in confusion over the field. A portion 



DIAPwY OF AN ARMY SUKGEON. 291 

of Baxter's Zouaves, in the third line, did break ; but the 
remainder of the regiment, and of the brigade, held its 
ground and met the onslaught of the enemy. The officers 
did all that mortal men could do to reorganize the terrified 
troops and put them forward in their positions, but the 
force of the enemy was tremendous. Captain Howe and 
Lieutenant Whittier, of General Sedgwick's staff, were 
prominent among those who attempted to rally them. 
They succeeded in rallying a portion of the 34th, and 
re-estabhshing it in action ; but it had already lost many of 
its choicest officers. The remnant of the 34th was rallied 
around its colors and conducted to the front, on the left of 
Howard's Brigade. General Sedgwick was wounded wdiile 
gallantly urging the men in his division to fearlessly face 
the foe — no matter though the rebels came with such 
superior numbers. At the time he w^as shot he was far in 
the advance — right in the thickest of the battle — close by 
his forward line. He was wounded in two places, one 
striking his wrist, the other his neck. Reluctant to leave 
the field, he remained two hours after he was w^ounded, 
when he was taken off, and the gallant General Howard, 
who lost an arm in the battle of Fair Oaks, assumed com-" 
mand of the division. Major Sedgwick, assistant adjutant- 
general, and nephew of Gen. Sedgwick, was seriously, and 
it is believed, mortally wounded. Gen. Sumner was one of 
the prominent personages on the field. Though he is a vet- 
eran commander, the weight of years seems to rest lightly 
upon him. The vicissitudes of a campaign do not inconve- 
nience him, and he came upon the field, apparently, with 
all the vigor of more youthful generals. Accompanied by 
his stafiT officers, he was in the hottest of the fight, conduct- 
ing himself in the most commendable manner, and succeeded 
in rallying those who had become disorganized. 



292 LEAVES FKOM THE 

General Dana was slightly wounded at the head of his 
brigade, when the fearful front and enfilading fire of the 
enemy caused our lines to waver. The wound, however, is 
not dangerous. It is a flesh wound in the leg by a mus- 
ket-ball, and the general hopes to assume command of his 
brigade again before the present campaign is ended. The 
command was ordered to retire to the ^^iece of woods in 
front of which it had been fighting. 

In obedience to the order of General Sumner, General 
Sedgwick's division fell back and reorganized in the woods, 
about three hundred yards to the rear, where the line of 
battle was formed again. The division, however, per- 
formed little eflicient service after that. While it was 
re-forming in the edge of the woods, Capt. Kirby's battery 
came up, and Gen. Sedgwick, after he was wounded, placed 
it in position. The battery opened a sharp fire witli spheri- 
cal case-shot, effectually driving back a force of the enemy 
which was seen advancing. Kirby's battery was supported 
by the 125th Pennsylvania Volunteers; so that the enemy 
did not attempt to take it. Simpson's and Hooper's bat- 
teries, which were in position on the brow of an adjacent 
hill, opened on a brigade of rebels that was fast bearing 
down towards General Sumner's right. The nature of the 
country gave full sweep to the artillery, and the rebels 
retired before its raking fire. These troops were subse- 
quently relieved by General Franklin's corps. The loss was 
heavy, — as it is a fixed principle, that when troops falter 
before a fire, though ever so fearful, their loss is greater 
than if they stood by their colors and fought bravely, 
no matter how numerous the foe, until support arrives. 
Colonel Wistar, who lost the use of his right arm at 
Ball's Bluff, was wounded in the other yesterday; am- 
putation will, probably, be necessary. In the Fifteenth 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 293 

Massachusetts regiment nine officers were killed and 
wounded, out of seventeen on duty. Company E w^ent 
into the battle with forty-three men, out of which number 
five were killed and tw^enty-three w^ere wounded. The 
colors are always tenaciously guarded by their bearers; 
and when one color-bearer is shot down and the colors fall, 
another man immediately grasps them, lifts them to the 
breeze, and carries them either till he is stricken down to 
the earth himself, or bears them triumphantly from the 
field. An interesting instance of this kind occurred in the 
battle of yesterday. The color-sergeant of the 15th Massa- 
chusetts regiment w^as shot dead ; he fell with the colors 
in his hand. The flag was instantly caught by his com- 
rade, who, sad to say, had scarcely raised them in the line, 
when a bullet killed him also, and again the colors fell. A 
third time they were raised ; and were carried from the 
field when the regiment retired. 

One interesting incident was quite observable on the 
rebel side. Our troops had broken the enemy's line, 
stricken down the rebel flag, and w^ere steadily advancing 
over the disputed ground. The rebel color-bearer had 
fallen mortally wounded. As he fell, he caught the colors 
which w^ere falling from his hands, and grasped them 
tightly with his fast-failing strength to his bosom. An- 
other rebel took them from the dying man, and bore them 
ofi". Numerous instances of similar devotion and bravery 
were found on either side. General French's division, 
w^hich had just been organized as a part of General Sum- 
ner's corps, is composed of General Kimball's veterans, a 
brigade of raw recruits under Colonel Morris, and Max 
Weber's splendid command. When the heavy firing had 
been heard in front, Sedgwick's and French's divisions 
marched in parallel columns across the Antietam creek, — 



294: LEAVES FKOM THE 

Richardson's division not crossing for nearly an hour after- 
wards. French formed his division in three Unes on the 
left of Sedgwick's. General Max Weber's fine brigade 
formed the first line ; the new troops under Colonel Mor- 
ris, the middle line ; and General Kimball's command, the 
last. Thus the new troops were placed between two 
brigades of splendid disciplined soldiers. The right of this 
division's line rested on a fine plantation, with its group of 
houses in the hollow. Each line was over half a mile in 
length, and about fifty yards from the other. The lines of 
the two divisions moved forward almost simultaneously 
until they encountered the vast force of the enemy, which 
immediately opened with artillery and infantry. None of 
our artillery in front of this division had got into position, 
and the infantry performed alone the important service 
which followed. Our troops moved forward from the 
ravine or hollow, up the rising ground, for the purpose of 
carrying the crest of the hill upon which the enemy was 
posted. They moved rapidly at first ; but the fire was 
so fearful in front of General Sedgwick, that the left of 
his line retired (it will be remembered), leaving a wide 
gap on the right of General French's. 

He pushed forward a regiment from Kimball's Brigade, 
to prevent the left flank being turned. Changing front 
towards the right. General French met the enemy, who 
was advancing through the gap, and engaged him, while 
Richardson's division went into action. The Irish Brigade 
was sent forward, and, with an impetuosity which cost 
many lives, gained the crest. Colonel Burk's Brigade now 
assisted in driving the enemy away. General Max Weber 
was wounded in this encounter. General Richardson's 
division, as before stated, got into action, and bore the 
brunt of the enemy's attempt to cut our line. The divi 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 295 

sion deployed into line of battle by brigades. Meagher's 
took the lead to the right, Caldwell's followed, and Bark's 
came last. When they arrived on the ground, the enemy 
were engaged with French's division, in the ploughed field 
in the hollow. General Richardson was w^ounded while 
personally directing the movements of the division. The 
Irish Brigade was ordered to charge up the hill, the 69th 
and 29th New York to charge the enemy's column on the 
right, and the 88th and 63d New York to charge on the 
left. The two former regiments obeyed in gallant style, 
but Lieutenant-colonel Kelly, of the 69th, being wounded 
in the face, they faltered, but continued an unbroken fire 
on the enemy from the ascending ground on which they 
halted. The other brigades of this division participated in 
this attack, driving in the enemy's column. General 
Meagher's horse was shot under him. General Richardson 
w^as wounded, while near one of the batteries, by a j^iece 
of shell, in the shoulder. He was taken to the same house 
where General Hooker lay. General Hancock, by order of 
General McClellan, assumed the command of the division 
until the close of the battle. General Franklin's corps, as 
stated, marched from Crampton's Gap, and arrived while 
the battle was raging, and went into action without delay, 
doing good service, and slept on the battle-field. Gen- 
eral Fitz-John Porter's corps was but slightly engaged. 
The corps of General Burnside performed an important 
part in the battle, having had to encounter the most deter- 
mined opposition in successfully executing that part of 
General McClellan's plan to which it was assigned. Behig 
distant from that part of the field, I can give but a 
general outline of its operations. Antietam creek lay 
between General Burnside's forces and the enemy, who 
were strongly posted in a favorable position on the ojDpo 



296 LEAVES FiiOM THE 

site side. It was necessary to cross the creek, and dislodge 
the enemy. The stream is spanned by a stone bridge, 
which joins the turnpike. It was well defended by the 
rebel infantry and artillery, and after two bloody and un- 
successful attempts to cross it, which cost us many lives, a 
third and successful one was made, and the enemy driven 
from his position on the other side. This, the crowning 
feat of the day's victory, was soon followed by simultaneous 
shelling along our line, and our troops driving the enemy 
before them from all their strongholds. The enemy were 
now, under cover of a heavy artillery fire, endeavoring to 
push forward on the left a large body of their skirmishers, 
followed by three columns, but our batteries in front kept 
them back. At this time, several farm-houses were set on 
fire by the shells, and added to the exciting scene. Burn- 
side's corps, assisted by the batteries on the hills, was suc- 
cessful ; and the rebels, driven on the right centre and left 
by our advancing columns, plainly told that the battle of 
Antietam was won by the Union arms, under the able 
direction of General McClellan, who, during the entire 
day, with indefatigable energy, personally guided the 
various movements, riding to and fro, now rallying this 
point, then another, and leaving nothing to chance. He 
inspired, by his presence and sagacity, his brave men, 
who, in turn, stood by him, in this, their bloodiest battle, 
and added the name of Antietam to the long list of vic- 
tories to which he had led them. Next morning the battle- 
field presented a scene of carnage and struggle that baffles 
description. During the whole night the wounded were 
being searched for, and continued to arrive at the tempo- 
rai-y hospitals. To-day the burying of the dead will bd 
attended to. 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 297 



CHAPTER XXYI. 

THE REBELS EECEOSS THE POTOMAC. 

The rebel army lias succeeded in making its escape from 
Maryland. They commenced to leave about dusk, on the 
18th of September, and by daylight, yesterday morning, 
were all over except a small rear-guard. They saved all 
their transportation, and carried oif all their wounded but 
about three hundred. General Pleasanton's cavalry, who 
led the advance of the Union forces, picked up between 
three and four hundred rebel stragglers. After our forces 
occupied the whole field, the rebel loss was found to be 
far greater — particularly in killed — than was at first sup- 
posed. Fully two thousand five hundred were found lying 
on the field, though a larger number had been buried the 
day before by their friends. This will make their total loss, 
in killed and wounded, nearly twelve thousand. Large de- 
tails were made this morning to bury the dead, Avhich have 
become ofiensive. General Stark, of the rebel army, is 
reported killed, and Generals Ripley, Walker, and Hayes 
were w^ounded. The rebels, on Thursday night, burned 
the railroad bridge and several houses at Harper's Ferry. 
They are still visible on the opposite shore, in force. They 
have posted a large amount of artillery to prevent our 
troops from crossing the river. Nearly every house in 
Sharpsburg was struck by our shells. Two were burned, 
and also a large barn located in the centre of the town. 
The citizens who remained escaped injury by staying in 
their cellars. One child was killed. Some of the rebels 
were also killed while cooking in a kitchen. 

13* 



298 LEAVES FEOM THE 



Movements of the Anny^ after the Enemy recrossea the 
Potomac. 

Early this morning some rebel cannon were to be seen 
on the opposite bank of the Potomac, to the left of Shep- 
herdstown. A few gunners were the only men visible. A 
reconnoissance was ordered. The 4th Michigan, Colonel 
Childs, and portions of the 62d and 118th Pennsylvania 
regiments, were ordered across on a tour of observation, 
accompanied by Griffin's battery, under command of Lieu- 
tenant Naslett. The 4th Michigan took the lead, and 
right gallantly they led the way, in the face of the enemy's 
frowning guns belching grape and canister. Unflinching- 
ly they plunged into the stream, and forded its danger- 
ous waters, not unlike as they forded the Chickahominy, 
near New Market bridge, in face of Semmes' whole rebel 
brigade. During the passage over, one private was killed, 
and Lieutenant Gordon, company I, and eight privates, 
wounded. Our men poured a terrific volley of musketry 
into the rebels, which made them run, leaving their dead 
and guns on the field. They took possession of the four 
guns, and recrossed the stream. No rebels were now dis- 
cernible, and the coast seemed clear. Forthwith, General 
Martindale's Brigade, Colonel Barnes commanding, con- 
sisting of the 18th Massachusetts, 2d Maine, 25th and 13th 
New York, and 118th Pennsylvania regiments, with the 
5th and 10th New York, of Sykes' division, were thrown 
across the river. As these men were allowed to land un- 
disturbed, it increased the conviction that the enemy was 
making a hasty retreat into the interior of Virginia. The 
3d Indiana cavalry, of General Pleasanton's Brigade, was 
the only cavalry that succeeded in crossing, — the enemy 
having suddenly opened a cannonade of shot and sheU 



DIAIir OF AN AliMY SURGEON. 299 

upon the remaining regiments, that proved too warm a 
reception, and obliged them to return to the Maryland 
shore. The principal portion of the day's work now com- 
menced — a brief but spirited battle, in which a small force 
of our men fought valiantly against a superior number. 
The enemy began to show himself in unexpected strength, 
and could now be seen in hne of battle as far as the eye, 
aided with a glass, could extend, on the left of Shep- 
herdstown. It was the duty of our men to stand their 
ground until beaten or ordered to retreat, and they stood 
most nobly. The enemy came down on them like an ava- 
lanche. The sharp crack of musketry, and the rising 
smoke, betokened that a battle had begun. Seeing the 
perilous position of our men, Robertson's, Gibson's, Ben- 
son's, and Tidball's United States artillery, took positions 
on this side, and poured shell and solid shot at a furious 
rate into the enemy's ranks. But few shots were received 
in exchange. Our men remained on the other side several 
hours, although actual firing was kept up but little over 
half an hour. When the order to recross to the Maryland 
side was given, our men came back in excellent order, not- 
withstanding the enemy kept up a continuous fire. Our 
muskets and artilleiy had played fearful havoc among the 
enemy, and our troops had the consolation of knowing that 
they have left more rebel dead and wounded on the field 
than of our own. A number of our men were taken pris- 
oners. They belong principally to the 118th Pennsylvania, 
now in the field. Through some mistake, they took the 
wrong road on the retreat. They fought with great 
bravery, and received the commendations of their com- 
manders. Colonel Provost received a severe but not 
dangerous wound in the side, while carrying the colors of 
the regiment. The men of all the regiments engaged be 



300 LEAVES FROM THE 

haved splendidly. They have suffered heavily. Wliile 
the battle raged, a woman crossed the river, and im- 
parted to General Morrell information as to the position 
of the enemy, and stated tliat they were marching to- 
wards our army with the intention of entrapping us. 

There has come a lull, in which the contending armies 
are lying quietly, with the Potomac between them, await 
ing develoj)ments which will probably ere long bring them 
into collision ; but neither will unadvisedly renew the con- 
test, without exhausting all the precaution which their 
leaders' skill can suggest. 

The battle-field of Wednesday is daily explored by an 
ai-my of relic-hunters from all 23arts of the country, w^ho 
have nearly cleared off all material evidence of the fight. 
The dead have all been buried, except some poor fellows 
who in their last hours of agony crawled to a secluded 
spot or shady corner, and whose bodies escaped the burial 
parties. Their whereabouts is now easily detected by the 
intolerable efliuvia from their fast-decomposing remains. 

I mentioned, in a former chapter, the marked improve- 
ment in the surgeons attached to the army in contrast with 
their inefficiency at the commencement of the rebellion. I 
cannot with justice avoid alluding to it again. After the 
battle of Antietam the wounded were more promptly and 
properly cared for than ever before, notwithstanding tlie 
large number to be provided for. This is owing, in a great 
measure, to the beneficial change in the ambulance service, 
which, under the efficient management of Lieutenant Dun- 
kelberger, of the 1st United States cavalry, has become 
more prompt in the discovery and conveyance of the 
wounded. The sure-eons also are more enerojetic and ca- 
pable, and the hospital supplies are obtained with less de- 
lay and circumlocution than before. These changes, which 



DIARY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 301 

have been so long and hitherto fruitlessly urged on the 
surgeon-general, have been produced by the co-operation of 
the surgeons with the medical inspectors — Drs. Cuyler and 
Cooledge materially aiding the good work. The Sanitary 
Commission has also borne a large share of the expense 
and labor. Its assistants, and the liberal distribution of 
its clothing and supplies, have again alleviated the sufferings 
of hundreds. Too much praise cannot be bestowed on 
this great and good institution. In it the people have a 
safe and efficient channel for the dispensation of its contri- 
butions. The untiring and faithful exertions of the secre- 
tary, general agent, and volunteers of the Commission, are 
a sure guaranty that no Avasteful or improper use will be 
made of the means placed at their disposal. The wounded 
have been all recovered. Those who were able to bear the 
journey have been sent to Hagerstown, Chambersburg, 
Harrisburg, and other places. The worst cases we have 
placed in the houses and barns in the vicinity of the battle- 
field, which have been fitted up as temporary hospitals. 

Dr. Muir, Medical Inspector-general of the British 
army, was here on the field. He has witnessed some of 
our operations and the preparations made for the wounded. 
Their extent and completeness has called forth his praise. 
His opinion, in such matters, is entitled to the highest 
respect from his large and varied experience in the Crimea 
and East Indies, and the thoroughly organized and well- 
known efficiency of the surgical department of the British 
army. Dr. Muir made many valuable suggestions, promi- 
nent amono; Avhich he advised the oro-anizino- under a 
competent head, of the female nurses, who should be 
selected between the ages of thirty and forty-five. This 
suggestion, which coincided with the opinions of many of 
the surgeons, has been since acted on ; and Miss Dix 



302 LEAVES FROM THE 

whose name has for many years been identified with the 
most philanthropic exertions in behalf of suffering human- 
ity, has consented to take the supervision and management 
of that department, which has hitherto been a source of 
annoyance to all the surgeons of the army. Women from 
New York and other cities, of doubtful age and reputation, 
had succeeded in getting employed as nurses, and had 
abused the privileges of their ill-assumed position to plun- 
der the poor wounded soldiers and embezzle the clothing 
and luxuries generously contributed by individuals and the 
Sanitary Commission. I can recall to mind more than one 
of these female harpies who, under the garb of religion and 
philanthropy, have robbed the dying sufferer of his hard- 
earned pay, sacredly hoarded and intended for his suffering 
family. Some of these miserable counterfeits of noble 
women, have been detected and exposed ; but others, I 
regret to say, have carried on their nefarious practices with 
such artful and methodical secresy, as to elude detection. 
The day, I trust, is not far distant, when the generous 
and self-sacrificing attendance and almost divine sympathy, 
evinced by the efficient and kind anticipations of the wants 
of the patients, of that inestimable class of ladies — " The 
Sisters of Charity," will be sufficient for the wants of the 
hospitals ; their presence in which lends a sanctity to the 
place, and restrains any disposition to profanity or impro- 
priety that may exist. 

The wisdom of the rebels in bringing their famished 
army to the beautiful Cumberland valley, and on to Har- 
risburg and Hagerstown, is fully proven by the rich and 
luxurious landscape it presents; teeming, as it is, with every 
production of husbandry, and its numerous and well-stocked 
farm-houses giving unmistakable evidence of the super- 
abundant plenty that abounds. This also suggests the great 



DIAKY OF AN ARMY SUEGEON. 303 

importance of that repulse which, under the able general- 
ship of McClellan, promptly aided by his gallant officers 
and men, they have sustained. Had they been permitted 
to remain this side of the river but a week, they would 
have found sufficient supplies to feed their halfstarved 
legions for months, and would, undoubtedly, have carried 
out their threats of capturing Baltimore and Washington. 
The head-quarters of General McClellan were moved yes- 
terday three miles nearer to Harper's Ferry. This move- 
ment is interesting, as it is supposed to be the percursor of 
an advance of the army into Virginia. Harper's Ferry is 
is now held by a large force of our troops, as it is regarded 
as an important point in the position of the army. The 
great distance from the centre to the right wing of the 
army gives one an idea of the immense number of men and 
the amount of material that has been collected here — for 1 3 
miles the eye never loses sight of the camps. The Virginia 
side of the river continues to be picketed by the enemy ; 
w^hile our troops do the same on this side. The pickets 
of both armies, by mutual consent, have abandoned the 
useless and murderous practice of firing on each other. A 
few days since a Dr. McLaughlan, of the rebel General 
Bradley Johnson's staff, crossed the river and gave himself 
up to the 8th Maryland pickets, stating that he was tired 
of the rebel service, and preferred being sent to Fort Mc- 
Henry to serving longer in the Virginia army. Early 
this morning a large force of our cavalry crossed the river 
at Blackburn's ford. At Sliepherdstown and at Shepherds- 
town Ferry, there are between three and four hundred 
wounded rebels. The former place is neutral ground ; and 
not being occupied by either side, is visited alternately by 
our men and the rebel cavalry. The rebel wounded pris- 
oners at Shepherdstown are guarded by the 91st Pennsyl- 



304: LEAVES FKOM THE 

vania regiment. They are under the care of three rebel 
surgeons, and have been liberally supplied. We have done 
every thing in our power to make the poor fellows comfort- 
able. Most of them are badly wounded, the greater num- 
ber of them having lost a leg or arm. 

I reached Harper's Ferry this noon, from Sharpsburg, 
and found important movements going on. Already a 
pontoon bridge crosses the river, and the railroad bridge — 
destroyed by the rebels — is being reconstructed by the 
railroad company, who have a large force employed upon 
it. Its completion at an early day is of great importance 
to the movements of the army, — should they advance into 
Virginia, — it being the only means of supplying the army, 
should it be necessary to make rapid marches against the 
enemy in its direction. Our advance is four or five miles out 
from the river, on the Virginia side ; and in our fi-ont are 
two rebel brigades of Louisiana and North Carolina troops, 
who seem 2>repared to contest our further progress. A 
skirmish took place this morning. Our cavalry and artil- 
lery drove the enemy some distance, and captured an 
officer and a squad of their cavalry, who were brought to 
the Ferry. Preparations are now making to protect Cum- 
berland against an attack, as it is expected the rebels \\'ill 
make a dash on it. 

General McClellan's report to General Halleck of the 
battles of South Mountain and Antietam was made known 
to-day in the camps along the river. He estimates our loss 
at South Mountain, as killed, four hundred and forty-three ; 
wounded, one thousand eight hundred and six ; missing, 
seventy-six ; making a total loss of two thousand three 
hundred and twenty-five. The loss at Antietam, it will 
be seen by the following numbers, is heavier that of any 
battle since the commencement of the war, though less, by 



DIAKY OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 805 

considerable, than the losses in the retreat from the Chick- 
ahominy to the James river, or the Seven Days' fight. It 
amounts to twelve thousand four hundred and sixty-nine, 
divided as follows : killed, two thousand and ten ; wounded, 
nine thousand four hundred and sixteen ; missing, one 
thousand and forty-three. The total loss, in both battles, 
is fourteen thousand seven hundred and ninety-four. The 
immense number of wounded to be cared for — over ten 
thousand — nearly one half of whom required surgical oper- 
ations, and all requiring care and hospital accommodation, 
will give the reader some idea of the amount of duty and 
resj^onsibility devolving on the medical department of the 
army, and will show the necessity of placing at its head a 
man of unquestioned ability, and incorruptible integrity, wdio 
cannot be approached by parties interested in obtaining 
contracts for supplying the hospital stores, medicines, in- 
struments, and appliances, the cost of which, for the last year, 
has exceeded twelve millions of dollars. The sinful waste 
of supplies at some places, and the impossibility of obtain- 
ing what has been most urgently needed for the sick and 
wounded at others, together with the guilty sacrifice of 
human life caused by the incompetency and negligence of 
men claiming to be surgeons, is justly charged to the gov- 
erning head of the department, who from either favoritism, 
ignorance, or imbecility, has permitted such persons to be 
employed in the government service at a rate of compen- 
sation much larger than they merited ; though it was, by 
far, too little for the competent surgeons, whose services 
were constantly needed. In agreeable contrast to this, I 
will state, that many eminent surgeons have relinquished a 
lucrative practice to join the army, since the commence- 
ment of the rebellion ; and many surgeons justly distin- 
guished in their several communities, volunteered after each 



306 LEAVES FROM THE 

of the great battles, and at a great sacrifice of pergonal con' 
venience and pecuniary gain, rendered valuable aid to the 
army surgeons in the treatment of the wounded, at a time 
when overpowered with the overwhelming numbers requir- 
ing their aid. 

October 1st, 1862. — This morning General Pleasanton 
crossed the river at Shepherdstown with a force of cavalry 
and artillery, for the purpose of making a reconnoissance in 
the enemy's rear, information having reached General 
McCleilan that they were falling back from the river. He 
came up with their pickets beyond Shepherdstown, and 
drove them to Martin sburg, from which place they were 
soon after driven by his artillery. The greater part of the 
rebels are encamped between Martinsburg and Winchester. 
General McCleilan, with General Marcy, and their staffs, 
visited Harper's Ferry, Bolivar, and Sandy Hook to-day, 
and inspected the railroad bridge across the river, which 
will be completed to-morrow. General Rodman, who was 
wounded at the battle of Antietam, died yesterday, and 
will be sent to Baltimore for burial. 

Mevieio of the Army by the President. 

To-day the whole army are preparing for a grand review. 
President Lincoln has arrived, and, in company with Gen- 
eral McCleilan, is now reviewing General Burnside's corps, 
near the mouth of the Antietam. He will next review the 
corps of General Franklin, at Bakersville, and then those 
of Generals Porter and Reynolds. There are crowds of 
spectators, and the cheering of the soldiers for McCleilan 
can be heard at a great distance. The President has also 
been well received, but by no means so enthusiastically as 
General McCleilan. His proclamation, issued last month, 
has caused considerable discontent among the regiments oi 



DIARY OF AN AEMY SURGEON. 307 

Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Xew York, and the 
"West. The President came by railroad from Washington 
to Harper's Ferry, where he was met by General McClellan, 
at General Sumner's head-qnarters. After General Sum- 
ner's corps had been inspected, he rode with General 
McClellan, his staff, and a large number of officers, over 
the battle-field of Antietara. He will remain to-night at 
General McClellan's head-quarters, and return to Washing- 
ton to-morrow, by way of Frederick. Our hospitals at 
Keedysville and Sharpsburg have to-day been cleared of all 
our wounded, but the rebel wounded still remain. We are 
having the vacant houses in Sharpsburg prepared for use 
as hospitals, as they may possibly be again required, though 
General Pleasanton, who has just returned from his recon- 
noissance, says the rebels will not again invade Maryland. 
For several days there has been nothing of importance 
transpiring along our lines. On Saturday, October 4th, a 
company of the 54th Pennsylvania regiment, guarding the 
railroad bridge between Hancock and Cumberland, w^ere 
taken prisoners by a rebel cavalry force ; but while they were 
thus engaged, Colonel McReynold's 1st regiment of New 
York cavalry captured their camp, and took two pieces of 
artillery and several wagons and mules. Colonel Egan, of 
the 40th New York, and his regiment, have returned from 
a reconnoissance to Leesburg, where they captured a rebel 
wagon-train, containing supplies, tents, and the personal 
baggage of General Longstreet. Commanders of corps, 
divisions, and brigades, are to-day having read to their 
regiments a congratulatory order from General McClellan, 
for the victories of South Mountain and Antietam. — Excit- 
ing news reached us to-day, October 12th, that General 
Stuart, with one thousand rebel cavalry, has crossed the 
river above here, at Hancock, and has marched to Cham 



308 LEAVES FEOM THE 

bersburg, Pennsylvania, which surrendered to him, there 
being no troops there. Tlie rebels seized all the govern- 
ment property, carrying oif clothing, etc. ; they destroyed 
the machine shop of the Cumberland Valley railroad, and 
government storehouses, and took away over five hundred 
horses. Cavalry and infantry are being sent out to inter- 
cept the rebels, and if possible to cut them off, — A report 
received here to-day, October 13th, says that the rebels 
under Stuart are recrossing the Potomac, at Noland's ford, 
with over one thousand horses and other property they have 
captured. Their force which has thus escaped our army, it 
is said, numbers two thousand five hundred cavalry and 
four pieces of artillery. General Pleasanton, in his report 
of the rebel raid of last Sunday, throws the blame on Gen- 
eral Stoneman. I learn to-day that the rebels are moving 
on Centreville in force. — October 16th. Our army are ad 
vancing into Virginia to-day. This morning, General 
Humphrey's division crossed the river at Blackburn's ford, 
and advanced on Shepherdstown, supported by Gen. Por- 
ter's division. They were met by the rebels, who opened 
a heavy fire on them. Having no artillery they retreated 
across the river. Part of Sumner's corps, under General 
Hancock, advanced on Charlestown, met the enemy at 
Halltown, and, after some artillery fighting, drove the ene- 
my back, and at noon occupied Charlestown. In the after- 
noon they formed in line of battle near Bunker Hill, and, 
after some skirmishing, the rebels fell back. 

Head- Quarters moved into Yirgmia. 

General McClellan has crossed the river and reached 
Charlestown in the afternooon. Large reconnoitring par- 
ties continue to be sent out daily. Early this morning 
the cavalry force, under General Pleasanton, with four 



DIAKT OF AN ARMY SURGEON. 309 

pieces of artillery, crossed the river, on the new pon- 
toon bridge at Berlin, and proceeded to Lovettsville, in 
Loudon county. Soon after General Burnside commenced 
crossing with his corps, which has occupied nearly the 
whole day. To-day, October 30th, the whole army is now 
in motion, except Sumner's corps, and are pressing on into 
Virginia. General McClellan's head-quarters are at Berlin. 
Yesterday we had a terrible fire at Harper's Ferry, which 
destroyed fifteen railroad car-loads of hay and a portion ol the 
bridge. The reports to-day represent that the rebels are 
in strong force between Winchester and the Potomac. 
General Slocum's division took possession of Leesburg 
without opposition. Our cavalry have been attacked and 
driven towards Aldee by fifteen hundred rebels under 
General Stuart. On Saturday General Pleasanton had an 
artillery fight with the rebels at Phillimont, which lasted 
five hours. The rebels retreated to the town of Union, 
which he took possession of next day. A train of cars, 
sent to Bull Run, was captured by the rebels, with one hun- 
dred men who accompanied it. 

Our army is making advances through the gaps of the 
Blue Ridge mountains, hitherto held by the enemy. Our 
forces are in front of Ashby's Gap. General Pleasanton, 
commanding our cavalry, moved on Barbours, near Chester 
Gap, on the 5th (Nov.). On approaching the town he came 
np with the rebels, three thousand strong, under General 
Stuart. They had but one battery, which was posted on a 
hill, but was driven off. Salem was to-day occupied by 
our cavah-y, under General Bayard. Stonewall Jackson 
occupies Chester Gap with a large rebel force. General 
Reynolds' corps took possession of Warrenton to-day at 
three o'clock. Our men found five rebel cavalry there, the 
rest having retreated on the arrival of our troops. 



310 LEAVES FROM THE 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

GENERAL M'CLELLAN'S REMOVAL FROM THE COMMAND OF 
THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, NOVEMBER 8, 1862. 

Intense excitement was caused to-day, in all the camps, 
by the report that McClellan, their beloved commander, 
was relieved of the command of the Array of the Potomac, 
and that General Burnside had been appointed to replace 
him. The order was received at head-quarters last night, 
and was presented by Assistant adjutant-general Bucking- 
ham, in person. 

General McClellan at once issued an address to his army 
notifying them of the change, taking a kind farewell of the 
men who fought and conquered with him so gallantly 
through his long and arduous campaign. He will leave for 
Trenton as soon as he can place General Burnside in full 
possession of his plans, and turn over to him the command 
of the army. This will necessarily occupy some time. The 
excitement in camp is intense, there is nothing else talked 
of, and many, very many of the best officers express a de- 
sire to quit the service ; not that they have any dislike to 
General Burnside, for he is a universal favorite, but they 
feel and say, that without McClellan, the Army of the Po- 
tomac will be powerless. His name alone acts like magic 
on the men, and the beloved "Little Mac," who is looked 
upon by every soldier as the father and preserver of the 
Army of the Potomac, can wield an influence over them 
that no other general can hope to possess. 



DIAKY OF AN AliMY SURGEON. 311 

Sunday was a sad day in camp, as General McClellan 
took his leave of the gallant Army of the Potomac, which 
he loved so Avell and had done so much to organize ; which 
had shared with him so many perils, and had bestowed on 
him so much of its confidence and esteem. He visited, 
one by one, the several army corps he had so often led 
to victory ; and as he rode by, in company with General 
Bm-nside, the shattered colors of each regiment, bearing 
the unmistakable evidence of many hard-fought battles, 
were lowered in salute, while the long-continued applause 
of the men spoke fully their love, confidence, and esteem 
for McClellan, and their regret at losing him for their 
commander. 

In the evening, the officers attached to General McClel- 
lan's head-quarters paid their respects to him in his tent, 
and seldom has such a scene been witnessed. One and all 
were stricken with grief of no ordinary kind. The love, 
honor, and respect entertained for hini by the soldiers of 
his army was, if possible, exceeded by that of the officers, 
whose daily intercourse with him had endeared him to 
them. " The Army of the Potomac" Avas the only senti- 
ment given. It was enough. Those few and simple words 
bore a meaning that required no eloquent elucidation, no 
lengthy dissertation to explain. 

The reason assigned for the removal of General McClel- 
lan from the command of the Army of the Potomac by 
General Halleck, is, that he has refused to advance into 
Virginia. This, every one who has accompanied the army 
knows is false. Not a day has passed since the battle of 
Antietam was won, but some important movement has 
been made by the Union army. But General McClellan 
wisely allowed his weary troops to recruit their wasted en- 
ergies, and, with the skill of a superior general, hesitated to 



312 DIARY OF AN ARMY SIJRGEON. 

lead his forces, with insufficient supplies and inadequate 
means of transportation, into the interior of Virginia, every 
foot of which had been prepared by the enemy, and on 
which our army had been twice before beaten. PoUtical 
influence alone, or his hesitation to sacrifice his beloved 
army to the ignorance of the War Department, has been 
the cause of his removal. 

And now, having accompanied my readers through the 
trying scenes of battle, with its varied fortunes of defeat 
and victory, and admonished that I have exceeded the al- 
lotted space 1/0 these imperfect, though unbiased descrip- 
tions of my campaign, I must bid them a reluctant fare- 
well : — shall I say forever ? The reply must come from my 
readers ; for, if these pages sufficiently interest them, I will 
renew aur relations of writer and reader, and continue the 
history of the Virginia campaign ; in which it is my inten- 
tion to give a correct list of the killed and wounded during 
the several battles described, from the commencement of 
my connection with the Army of the Potomac. 



1?B 



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